Global Unified Schools
Special Olympics Unified Schools is defined as a pre-school, primary school, secondary school, college or university offering Unified Sports opportunities to its students all across the globe.
Unified Schools programming is designed to facilitate Special Olympics Unified Sports, provide classroom and community experiences that reduce bullying and exclusion, promote healthy activities, combat stereotypes and negative attitudes, eliminate hurtful language in schools, and engage young people in activities that lead to improved behavior and school climate.
Unified Schools programming is designed to facilitate Special Olympics Unified Sports, provide classroom and community experiences that reduce bullying and exclusion, promote healthy activities, combat stereotypes and negative attitudes, eliminate hurtful language in schools, and engage young people in activities that lead to improved behavior and school climate.
To Build Back Better, Build Back More Inclusive
The Unified Champion Schools guide, “To Build Back Better, Build Back Inclusive” covers important learnings from the UCS program in order to help guide educators across a variety of school settings as they navigate unprecedented times.
Unified Sports
Facilitator's Guide in Spanish (PDF)
Special Olympics Latin America School Guide
Secondary School Guide in Spanish (PDF)
Special Olympics Latin America School Guide
Primary School Guide in Spanish (PDF)
Special Olympics Latin America School Guide
Research
Social Inclusion of Students With Intellectual Disabilities: Global Evidence From Special Olympics Unified Schools
Special Olympics Global Center for Inclusion in Education
27 Min Read
Branding
Marketing and Communications
Special Olympics Brand
Complete guide to branding for Special Olympics globally and by campaign.
BEST PRACTICES
This section will provide resources, templates, sample forms, and other necessary tools for our programs participating in the SNF Unified Schools program.
Outreach Letter
Letterhead to new School Partner with Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Special Olympics logo; signed by Soeren Palumbo.
Unified Schools Toolkit
See an example of how to develop a progression and best practice process for developing your own Unified Schools toolkit.
Unified Mentor Schools
An example of how to create mentorship. Special Olympics Serbia took already established Unified Schools (made up of Unified Sports clubs and schools) and had them act as role models to share their experiences with potential new schools.
Government Partnerships (PPTX)
See an example of how Special Olympics Kenya formed partnerships with multiple government agencies that directly impacted the expansion of Unified Schools.
Strategic Partnerships Presentation (PPTX)
In this resource, you will find examples and strategies behind creating a partnership model with local municipalities and identify ways to best recruit students with and without intellectual disabilities. Partnership Agreement Example | Proposal Example
SIBLING ENGAGEMENT
Families
Sibling Engagement
Siblings are connectors of three groups central to our movement: athletes, families and youth. Through Special Olympics, siblings can find a supportive community, a platform to share their experiences, and an opportunity to develop as leaders. This section will provide resources for youth-age siblings of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
GLOBAL YOUTH PLAN
2017-2020 (PDF)
The Global Youth plan guides our efforts to engage youth around the world.
One-Pager (PDF)
One-Pager (PDF): The five objectives of the Special Olympics Global Youth Plan are depicted here.