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Beginnings

Every story has a beginning. Every beginning is a story. This month, watch as four different school communities bring inclusion to their campuses.

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Unified Talks: The Anton Team On Being A Good Teammate

Sisters Elise and Sophia Anton, both Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors from Colorado, talk about what means to be a good teammate.

Inside Inclusion: Teamwork

Sophie and Joey from Nebraska talk to members of the NCAA DIII SAAC about teamwork!

Who Is Your Inclusion Hero?

Is there someone in your life who motivates you to be more inclusive? This month, we asked our U.S. ...

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Unified Talk: Tajha Talks Teamwork

Tajha shares with us why being a part of a team is important & the skills it gives us.

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Unified Talk: Britney Explains What It Means To Be An Upstander

In this episode, Britney talks about belonging but in a different way.

Generation Unified 2020: Meaningful Inclusion in a Virtual Classroom

This live, virtual kick-off event will provide a look into the tutorials, activities, and special offerings that Special Olympics Unified ...

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Unified Talk: Tajha Talks Belonging

Learn what it means to feel a sense of belonging with Tajha!

Find Your Sense of Belonging with Unified Champion Schools

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Growing up, Daina Shilts did not have a Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools experience. ...

A collage image featuring several of the Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors

Say Hello to the U.S. Youth Ambassadors

The Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors are a group of 30 youth leaders with and without intellectual disabilities who are ...

World Teachers’ Day

We celebrate teachers because they inspire, support, and make a difference in the lives of the Unified Generation around the ...

A group of Hendrickson High School students hugging.

Unified Beginning: Hendrickson High School

Hendrickson High School in Texas is a 2019 ESPN Top 5 Special Olympics Unified Champion School. This was achieved through the support ...

A student from Copper King Elementary puts her arm around another student.

Unified Beginnings: Copper King Elementary School

Bringing Unified Champion Schools programming to Copper King Elementary School was a collaborative effort between the Special Olympics Arizona staff ...

A student hugs a teacher from Sayreville School District in New Jersey.

Unified Beginnings: Sayreville School District

See how Sayreville became a Unified Champion School district.

Zoie, a youth leader from Fife High School, WA.

Unified Beginnings: Zoie

Learn how Zoie started the #InclusionRevolution at her school.

Discover Your Moment

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. Through this program, students with and ...

An Image of Loretta Claiborne smiling with her eyes closed. She is in black and white but there is a colorful background behind her.

Happy Birthday, Loretta Claiborne!

Every year on August 14, we celebrate Loretta Claiborne’s birthday. Loretta is the Chief Inspiration Officer of Special Olympics. She ...

Kate takes a photograph of her dog, a chocolate labrador.

#WorldPhotographyDay

Kate’s photography has taken her on unforgettable journeys. For World Photography Day on August 19, 2020, Kate gave us some of ...

Group of students posing in front of a school bus.

#InternationalFriendshipDay

On July 30 2020, we celebrated International Friendship Day. Lasting friendships are at the core of the Unified Generation.

President George Bush signs into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 on the South Lawn of the White House. L to R, sitting: Evan Kemp, Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Justin Dart, Chairman, President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. L to R, standing: Rev. Harold Wilke and Swift Parrino, Chairperson, National Council on Disability, 07/26/1990.

30th Anniversary of the ADA

30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. It was a step towards advancing the rights for ...

Eddie Yarbrough seated in a high school classroom.

Eddie Yarbrough is a Champion Ambassador

Eddie Yarbrough is a Defensive End for the Minnesota Vikings. He is also a Special Olympics Champion Ambassador. Eddie was ...

Making the Case for Inclusion: CDC Report

Unified Physical Education and Unified Fitness are both ways to bring inclusive sports into schools. Both provide students of all ...

The first Special Olympics was held in Chicago.

Special Olympics Celebrates 52 Years

When the first Special Olympics was held in 1968, it was the start of a movement. Today, Special Olympics is a ...

Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver delivers a speech at a podium.

Celebrating Mrs. Shriver

On July 10, we celebrated Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s birthday. Mrs. Shriver is the founder of the Special Olympics movement. Her ...

Collage of U.S. Youth Ambassadors who are seniors.

Happy Graduation from the #UnifiedGeneration

As the school year comes to an end, hear from our seniors.

#Graduation2020

The Unified Generation got to celebrate #Graduation2020 with Facebook and Instagram!

Teacher Diane P. with her students from Burnet Middle School.

Teacher Appreciation Day 2020

On May 5, 2020, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. There are thousands of teachers at the forefront of the Special Olympics movement. ...

Miami Southridge Senior High School receiving their national banner.

ESPN Top 5 Class of 2019

Take a look back at the ESPN Top 5 Unified Champion Schools from 2019-2020.

Shaniya and her brother looking off into the distance.

#UnifiedGeneration

Take a look at our incredible young leaders with and without intellectual disabilities. Together they make up the #UnifiedGeneration.

National Siblings Day 2020

On April 9th, 2019 we celebrated National Siblings Day. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® celebrates siblings who continue to power our ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Tajha (right) posing with her two sisters.

International Women’s Day 2020

Celebrate International Women's Day with the Unified Generation!

Megan and Patrick smiling at the camera.

Megan and Patrick’s Moment

Watch Patrick and Megan’s Moment and learn about their shared inspiration: their sister Jenni.

Two members of an SO College waiving while holding their National Banner.

Inclusion Weekly: National Banner Presentation

In the final episode of “Inclusion Weekly”, we rejoin the members of the Colorado State University College Club. They explain ...

Tanner’s Moment

Tanner gained a positive outlook on school and life after joining Unified Sports.

Group of students from the Colorado State University College Club.

Inclusion Weekly: College Clubs

Special Olympics College Clubs are a great way to make college more inclusive.

Rashaan’s Moment

After moving around during childhood, Rashaan found his passion for basketball. But it wasn’t until college where he found ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Sydney working in her transition program.

Inclusion Weekly: Inclusive Workplace

This episode is hosted by Sydney from Massachusetts. She explains her transition from high school to getting a job in ...

Students Donzel and Alyson posing for a picture during Unified Physical Education class.

Inclusion Weekly: Unified Physical Education

U.S. Youth Ambassador Donzel from Illinois explains the benefits of Unified Physical Education. In collaboration with Edmodo, Special Olympics ...

Two soccer players working together to dribble the ball down the field.

Inclusion Weekly: Unified Sports

U.S. Youth Ambassador Sydney from Massachusetts shows the importance of Special Olympics Unified Sports through interviewing students at her ...

Jenni’s Moment

Jenni’s younger brother Jason has Down syndrome. Growing up, Jason was one of the first students with Down syndrome ...

A youth leader points at a poster he's been working on.

Inclusion Weekly: Inclusive Youth Leadership

In this episode, we check back in with Tajha. She explains what Inclusive Youth Leadership means. This is when students ...

A group of students from Pontiac High School in Illinois posing for a picture.

Inclusion Weekly: Whole School Engagement

This episode of “Inclusion Weekly” is hosted by students from Pontiac High School in Illinois. They teach us all about ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Tajha walks the halls of her high school with fellow students.

Inclusion Weekly: What is UCS?

This episode of “Inclusion Weekly”, is hosted by Tajha from Florida. She describes the three components of Special Olympics Unified ...

Claude and Catherine Dayas-Tokoto sitting in their home looking into each other's eyes.

Catherine and Claude’s Moment

Catherine and Claude Dayas-Tokoto emigrated from Cameroon to the United States. They did this to provide a better life for ...

Deran, a high school athletic director from North Carolina looks off into the distance.

Deran’s Moment

When Deran was younger, he had a childhood friend named Jenny. When Jenny passed away, Deran was shocked at how ...

Noah and his best friend Conrad hanging out.

Noah’s Moment

Growing up Noah and had an estranged relationship with his brother Sam who has an intellectual disability. The brotherly bond ...

Riley a student from Ponaganset High School, dressed in spirit gear and smiling.

Ponaganset Senior Projects

At Ponaganset High School, each senior presents on a topic that has significant meaning to them. In 2019, seven seniors chose ...

Tajha, a US Youth Ambassador from Florida smiles for the camera while standing in front of a lake.

Tajha’s Moment

Tajha Ilerant is from Immokalee, Florida. She lost both of her parents at a young age. Tajha let out her ...

Sidney and Britney a Unified pair from Hawaii smile for the camera.

Be The Change

Britney and Sidney are from Special Olympics Hawaii. They attended the Youth Leadership Experience at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games ...

Cody,a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #33 – Cody

Cody is not just an awesome soccer player. He is also an artist and a member of the Unified Generation. ...

Sydney, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #22 – Sydney

Sydney is one of the Captains of the Clovis North soccer team. Joining the team gave Sydney a sense of ...

Sean, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #25 – Sean

Sean always played sports growing up. But, he didn’t find his community until he joined the Clovis North Broncos. ...

Young man with his team reaching his hand up in the air in triumph.

Clovis Unified

This is the story of the Clovis North High School Unified Interscholastic Soccer team. Interscholastic teams play in Unified Champion ...

Two students from Ponaganset High School congratualting each other during a Unified Sports game.

Ponaganset HS: A Case Study

Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island is a great representation of what it means to be a Special Olympics National ...

Noah from Mead High School smiling as he holds a sign that says

Mead HS: A Case Study

Mead High School is a Unified Champion School in Longmont, Colorado. The school has grown exponentially over the decade since ...

Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts looking pensively into the distance.

Daina’s Powerful Story

Daina Shilts was bullied, teased and excluded when she was in school. Through Special Olympics, she found her love of ...

Students from Old Bridge Paige and Bella looking at each other smiling.

Live Unified: Inclusive Youth Leadership

Inclusive Youth Leadership is one of three components that make a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. Students with and without ...

Alamo Heights students Carrie and Dominic speaking at a podium.

Alamo Heights HS: A Case Study

Alamo Heights High School is a Unified Champion School located in San Antonio, Texas. They show what meaningful inclusion is ...

Eddie Yarbrough smiling as he walks down the hallway of his high school.

Eddie Yarbrough: From Unified Champion Schools to the NFL

Eddie Yarbrough is a Defensive End for the Minnesota Vikings. He previously played for the Buffalo Bills. Before his professional ...

Play Unified: Unified Sports & Unified PE

Special Olympics Unified Sports® is one of three components that make up a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. This as ...

A group of students from Alamo Heights High School waving to the camera on a football field.

The Revolution is Inclusion

As spoken by students of Unified Champion Schools and members of the Unified Generation: “We are not just athletes. We ...

Brothers Isaac, Isaiah and Ivan Garcia are sitting on the Washington High School basketball court looking into the distance.

Washington HS: A Case Study

Washington High School is a Special Olympics Unified Champion School located in Phoenix, Arizona. Through Unified Sports and inclusive youth ...

Students sitting in the bleachers of an assembly as two students face them.

Learn Unified: Whole School Engagement

Whole School Engagement is one of three components of a Special Olympics Unified Champion School®. It’s when awareness and ...

Kate DeCotis and a classmate sitting on the bus. Kate is smiling at the camera.

There is Nothing Kate Can’t Do

Through Kate’s story, we see what meaningful inclusion looks like from an early age. She is fully embraced as ...

Loretta Claiborne smiling at the camera.

Loretta: Our Inspiration

When Loretta Claiborne was a young girl, she was isolated and worried about what her future would hold. As she ...

Two students about to high-five in a school gym.

Special Olympics Celebrates 50th Anniversary

In this video, watch how Special Olympics has impacted different people throughout the movement. First, Loretta Claiborne talks about her ...

Evan and Jay Hallberg walking down the hallway of Ponaganset High School.

Evan & Jay: Brothers

Evan and Jay Hallberg are brothers that attended Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. Through opportunities afforded by Special Olympics ...