Group of students from Hendrickson High School smiling under their newly received national banner.
what's new

Unified
Beginnings

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

Watch Now
Daina Shilts

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 ...

Tajha Ilerant smiling.

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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.

Tanner looking off into the distance.

Tanner’s Moment

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

A close up photo of Rashaan.

Rashaan’s Moment

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

Jenni and Jason smiling at the camera.

Jenni’s Moment

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

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...