SPECIAL OLYMPICS Project UNIFY®

THE PATH WAGED BY ONE WOMAN… Founded in 1968 by

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. 

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It’s one thing to change a life.It’s another to change the entire community’s mindset.

More than an event… a Movement

...CREATED SPECIAL OLYMPICS3 |

7 Global Regions228 Local Programs180 Countries1,010,000 Coaches & Volunteers 3,400,000 Athletes44,000 Events Each YearWorld Games Every 2 years

GLOBAL REACH4 |

• 3.43 MILLION athletes worldwide

• 8% GROWTH in 2009—fastest growing regions are Asia-Pacific and East Asia

• 67 PERCENT of our athletes are of school age (8-21)

• 57,000 INDIVIDUALS in the 2-7 age group

• 38 PERCENT of the Special Olympics athlete population are female

• MORE THAN 30 SPORTS, including athletics, football, basketball, bowling, aquatics

and table-tennis• 130,000 Unified Sports®

athletes and over 196,000 PARTNERS are now engaged in Unified Sports®

• 22,177 ATHLETES serve in leadership positions

• 244,000 COACHES supported Special Olympics athletes during 2009

• 121 COMPETITIONS were hosted every day in 2009

• US$173 MILLION raised (cash) in 2009

SPECIAL OLYMPICS IN NUMBERS5 |

Approximately 1-3% of the global population or almost 200 million people have intellectual disabilities, making it one of the largest disability populations in the world.

THE NEED6 |

Bullying and Safety ConcernsIsolation and DisengagementEmotional Distress and Unhealthy Behavior

What We Are Up Against

For all students in school today feeling unsafe has a negative impact on learning:

of students say they were bullied at school within the last 6 months. i 28%35.5

%For our population, bullying is the norm:

ISSUES: BULLYING & SAFETY CONCERNS

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of students reported being in a physical fight within the previous year.ii

of students with intellectual disabilities, are bullied or victimized once a week or more. iii9%

60% of students with disabilities reported being bullied compared to 25 percent of the general student population. iv

2-3xOnly 10 studies have been conducted in the United States on bullying and developmental disabilities. All studies found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be victims of bullying than their nondisabled peers. v

All students who feel connected to their schools and engaged in their learning are more successful academically and have healthier behavior, yet:

of students in high school are chronically disengaged from school. vi40-60%only 55%

For persons with intellectual disabilities:

ISSUES: ISOLATION & DISENGAGEMENT

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of high school students feel they are an important part of their school community. vii

of youth say they have a classmate or friend with intellectual disabilities. Isolation for children with disabilities remains the norm. viii

only 10%Only11-25%

of persons of employment age with intellectual disability have jobs as their transition from school to work leaves huge numbers lost and alone.

All students must be healthy, safe and ready to succeed; yet, many are struggling:

of students engage in enough regular physical activity, despite rising obesity.only 34%

15%

ISSUES: EMOTIONAL DISTRESS & UNHEALTHY BEHAVIOR

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of high school students say they have seriously considered suicide within the last year.

of high school students have made plans for suicide, and 7% have actually attempted to take their own lives. ix 11%

44% of children report stress-related sleeping difficulties. x

Time to Think Differently

Not just a sports event. An every day movement.

• Sport for those frequently excluded: people with intellectual disabilities

• Community participation through athlete leadership, Unified Sports®, family empowerment, health promotion, research, advocacy, and volunteerism

• Communicate the gifts and value of every person to audiences around the world

• Activate people, especially young people, to become agents of change.

• By celebrating people of all differences we bring the world together one team mate at a time

We bring a unified, inclusive vision that helps people get along better.

THE CATALYST: SPECIAL OLYMPICS12 |

A Vision of Inclusion

A strategy to activate youth, engage educators, and promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion where all young people are agents of change. Utilizing the sports and education initiatives of Special Olympics, Project UNIFY®: • Fosters respect and dignity for

people with intellectual disabilities• Changes actions and attitudes

among their peers without intellectual disabilities.

CHARACTERISTICS• Unifying Sports Program• Youth Leadership• School/Community Collaborations• Creating/Sustaining Relationships• Communications• Professional Development• Continuous Improvement

PROJECT UNIFY®14 |

UNIFYINCLUDE

ALL STUDENTSSPECIAL ED STUDENTS

STUDENT-LEDADULT-LED

SPORTS AS A CATALYST FOR SEL AND SCHOOL CLIMATE CHANGE

SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES

PROJECT UNIFY® GOALS15 |

Youth ActivationCommittees

Schools:All Students & Teachers

Family & FriendsCommunities,

Companies, & Governments

Unified Sports teams

Engaged/Involved Students

School & Community Impact

Community

School

Young Athletes™, “Get Into It®” curriculum & e-tools, Unify Day, Web site information/ activities/ friendships, Fans in the Stands, assemblies

P R E - K / E L E M E N T A R Y

Unified Sports clubs, “Get Into It®” curriculum and e-tools, Youth Summits & rallies, Unify Day, “R-Word”, Partners Clubs, Web site connections, essay contests, Fans in the Stands

Unified Sports, “Get Into It®” curriculum & e-tools, Unify Day, Games, “R-Word”, web-based friendships, partners Clubs, social networking, essay contests, editorial writing, volunteering, Fans in the Stands, assemblies & rallies

M I D D L E S C H O O L

H I G H S C H O O L

A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH17 |

Unified Sports®, Unified Sports® Player Development, Young Athletes™, Unified recreation

I N C L U S I V E S P O R T S A C T I V I T I E S

Unified Sports clubs, “Get Into It®” activities (GII Active), conducting Youth Summits & rallies, organizing Unify Day or Sports Days, “R-Word” activities and Spread the Word to End the Word planning, Partners Clubs, social network connections and awareness activities, Fundraising for Special Olympics

Unified Sports tournaments, Unify Day or Sports Days for the whole school to engage in, or volunteer at, attending or hosting Special Olympics Games and competitions, “R-Word” campaign and Spread the Word to End the Word, school-wide essay contests, volunteering, Fans in the Stands, school assemblies & pep rallies or rallies for respect

I N C L U S I V E / C O L L A B O R A T I V E Y O U T H L E A D E R S H I P

S C H O O L - W I D E A W A R E N E S S A N D E N G A G E M E N T

3 Critical Components18 |

A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH19 |

School AssembliesPep Rallies

Unified SportsYoung Athletes

A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH20 |

School Climate Change

Unfied Sports

Young Athletes™ – early intervention, ages 2-7social and motor development

Get Into It® service-learning, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum

Games and sports eventsVolunteering, Fans In the Stands

Unified Sports® teams

R-Word Assemblies and Rallies for Respect

Partners Clubs and ALPs – Athlete Leadership/Inclusive Youth Leadership

PROJECT UNIFY® PROGRAM ELEMENTS

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• A youth-created, youth-led movement to eradicate the use of derogatory language to hurt and demean

• 200,000 pledges collected on r-word.org

• 108,236 members of r-word “Spread the Word” Facebook community and counting…

• Nearly 7 million followers on twitter thanks to the NBA, Al Roker, Paula Deen, Dr. Oz and other celebs.

• Our campaign spokespersons, Lauren Potter, from the hit show “Glee” taped interviews for E! and

ET for us.• More than 11.5 million pledges

from youth in India • Whole school approach:• Youth leaders with and without ID

collaborate to promote social justice• Students and adults work together

to make a change in their schools and in themselves

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTR-WORD & RALLY FOR RESPECT22 |

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTR-WORD & RALLY FOR RESPECT23 |

•Rosa Law’s passed in 2010: Federal Law bars the use of the word “retard” and changes it to intellectual disability in all government documents. • Many states take implement the same thing at the state level. •Proclamation Days: Many cities and states have official proclamation days – promoting respect and raising awareness around the R-word. •Continued Growth online: In the course of the 3 year campaign there has been a major increase in web traffic showing continued growth and interest year over year, blogs, events, pledges, tweets and fans.• Activation in 50 college campuses and 750 K—12 schools.• India, China, Ireland , South Africa join in pledge signing and

related events.•Generation of more than 100 million media impressions in leading news outlets such as New York Times, Fox, AP, MSNBC, CNN.

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTR-WORD IMPACT24 |

WHAT IS UNIFIED SPORTS®?Places individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (partners) side by side on competitive sports teams.

THE UNIFIED SPORTS® MISSIONTo promote athleticism and social inclusion through sports

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS®

CELEBRATING PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENCES

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IMPACTReported Significant Change in Self-esteem/Self-ConfidenceATHLETES WITH ID: 64%ATHLETES WITHOUT ID: 37%

Reported Significant Change in Social skillsATHLETES WITH ID: 47%ATHLETES WITHOUT ID: 65%

• An opportunity for students with and without ID to play sports together

• Introduced in 1990, now engages approximately 40,000 students with and without ID in U.S. alone—324,123 globally

• Whole school approach:• Student friendships made on the playing field

are cultivated in classroom and club collaborations, projects and assemblies

• All students benefit physically and socially• Teachers gain appreciation of ability for

students of all abilities to collaborate on class projects

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® TEAMS26 |

Athletes w/ID Athletes w/out ID Athletes w/ID Athletes w/out ID0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Significant change Some change No change

SELF-ESTEEM/SELF-CONFIDENCE

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUnified Sports® Teams27 |

Unified Sports® rules and guidelines on age and ability are designed to create “a level playing field” and ensure that all athletes and participants are challenged, develop new skills, gain appreciation for the talents of others, and play an important role on teams. “ Within a short amount of time it gets blended together and teammates are off to the job of playing basketball or softball. The idea of being “special’ gets lost.”—Fred McNulty, Special Education Director

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS®

ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH INCLUSION

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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH CREATING UNDERSTANDING

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Parents, teachers, friends, coaches, and others who witness athletes and partners teaming up in Unified Sports competitions can’t help but have their preconceived notions of what it means to have an intellectual disability transformed.

“Passing a ball across a court or running down a field side by side teaches tolerance and acceptance in a way that is rarely achieved inside a classroom.”—K. Riordan, Special Olympics Unified Team Coach

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATION

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Partnerships with non-Special Olympics groups (such as schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc.) are vital. Such collaborations further integrate athletes in their communities and enhance appreciation of the talents and abilities of Special Olympics athletes among others. “The important thing about my Unified Sports® team is that it allows my Special Olympics athletes to be less isolated, more a part of the community.”—Special Olympics Unified Sports® Coach

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH FRIENDSHIP AND SOCIALIZATION

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As with any team, athletes and partners are provided a forum which promotes camaraderie, competition and fun, and leads to long-lasting friendships.

“I’ve seen more interaction on the field today between classmates than I’ve seen in my classroom all year.” —Kitzi Chotlos, Special Education Teacher

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH FRIENDSHIP AND SOCIALIZATION

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Access to highly qualified coaches allows both athletes and partners a chance to develop sport-specific skills while maintaining physical fitness through regular training and competition.

“I don’t see many differences. Athletes and partners both want to compete. And everyone wants to have fun.” —Don Hess, Unified Sports® Coach

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTUNIFIED SPORTS® ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH COMPETITION EXPERIENCES

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Athletes and partners take the field of play in sports competitions against other Unified teams benefiting from both physical and mental challenges, and gaining appreciation of each other’s role not only as teammates, but as friendly competitors. “Our team’s getting better. We’re gelling because we’re getting everyone involved.” —Brian Georgi, Unified Sports® Partner

Data from Unified Partners (European study)

64%

of ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES report an overwhelmingly POSITIVE CHANGE in their self-esteem/confidence after playing Unified Sports®

DEMONSTRATING REAL IMPACT34 |

37%

of ATHLETES WITHOUT INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES report an overwhelmingly POSITIVE CHANGE after playing Unified Sports®

47%

of ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES reported a POSITIVE CHANGE

in their social skills after playing Unified Sports®

65%

of ATHLETES WITHOUT INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES report POSITIVE CHANGE in their social skills.

93%

of PARTNERS say that they gained a BETTER UNDERSTANDING of individuals with intellectual disabilities after playing Unified Sports®

GENERATING NOTHING SHORT OF A TOTAL TRANSFORMATION

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Unified Sports® challenges partners’ preconceived notions of what it means to have an intellectual disability as they experience firsthand what Special Olympics athletes are capable of.

“Now there is no teasing of special students on the street any more. An understanding developed that there are no differences between the regular and the special students.” —Teacher, Slovakia

IMPACT“The general education and special education students have learned so much about each other…I see the students hanging out in the halls together now and having lunch with each other. It's a win-win situation for everyone." Linda Davenport-Kennedy, Teacher at North High School and Project UNIFY® Coordinator

• Online resource for teachers to introduce acceptance

• Downloaded by 40,000 teachers, mostly special education, in its early versions

• Whole school approach:• Teachers receive standards-aligned, inclusive

curriculum (newest version launched in fall 2010 to 3 million teachers and administrators)

• Students with and without ID collaborate on projects and activities through service-learning and experiential-learning

• Serves as complement to other school activities such as r-word, Unified Sports® or Fans in the Stands

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTGET INTO IT®

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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTSO GET INTO IT®MATERIALS

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTGET INTO IT® MATERIALS

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GII ActiveCondensed version of K-12 GII Lessons based on more physical activity and discussions. Designed for less-structured environments (recess, after-school programs, sports teams)

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The Context: Where can GII Active be used?

Youth Leadership: GII Active was created to be a tool not just for educators, but for any group leader. This resource would allow youth to lead and train other youth or even adults in these activities, discussions, and simulations.

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Movies that MoveClips from films and TV shows based on themes of Different Abilities, Acceptance, Power of Words, and Youth Leadership with teacher’s guide

IMPACT• Helps community gain a better understanding of children with special needs.• Gives children a sense of increased mastery & competence.• Shows parents what their child is capable of & gives parents a network of their own.• Encourages children to use their bodies in a variety of ways.

• Early-intervention program for ages 2-7

• Introduced in 2005, now serving 17,446 children and families in North America, and 21,943 around the world in 120 Programs.

• Whole school approach:• K-2 students participate in inclusive physical

activities• 3rd - 4th graders become peer “buddies” or

“helpers”• Students learn acceptance and understanding• Students gain volunteer experience

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTYOUNG ATHLETES™

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Percent of teachers reporting improvement in the following areas:

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

SELF HELP SKILLS

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT

75%

71%

69%

65%

62%

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTYOUNG ATHLETES™

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• Currently promotes self-advocacy and leadership skills with a focus on SO athlete board inclusion and Global Messengers

• Project Unify® builds and expands upon this model to include all students through Partners Clubs and other inclusive group activities

• Whole school approach:• Youth leaders with and without ID develop the

leadership skills to work together for school change, both in newly formed clubs and committees, and through existing student groups such as student councils and service clubs

• Students without ID gain the critical skills to include their peers with ID in substantive and meaningful leadership, collaboration and co-creation

IMPACT• Helps community gain a better understanding of children with special needs.• Gives children a sense of increased mastery & competence.• Shows parents what their child is capable of & gives parents a network of their own.• Encourages children to use their bodies in a variety of ways.

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTALPS & INCLUSIVE YOUTH LEADERSHIP44 |

IMPACTIn North Carolina, in a very rural district with only a few ID in school, a fan club created for just one student – “Stephen Hill” fan club – group of his fellow students and friends traveled 3 hours just to cheer him on at state event as their classmate.

“It almost brings tears to your eyes to know normal-needs kids no longer see special-needs kids as outcasts.”

• What was an afterschool sports event or field trip for the special education students now engages the entire student body through Fans in the Stands and pep assemblies and rallies

• Project Unify® builds and expands upon the volunteer model to include all students.

• Whole school approach:• Entire schools engage in pep rallies held for

all students to receive recognition, students volunteer as “fans in the stands”

• Students serve as peer coaches or partners on Unified Sports® teams

• Student councils and other inclusive leadership clubs conduct and manage sports competitions and related events such as r-word pledges, or poster contests

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTGAMES & EVENTS45 |

PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENTGAMES & EVENTS46 |

Since launch in 2008:• 45% increase in funding from the

U.S. Dept. of Education • 2008: $5.5 million. 2010, 2011: $8 million/year. • More than two-thirds of funding goes to state

Programs• 42 U.S. State Programs

implementing• 2,100 schools participating• 20,000 new Special Olympics athletes

and partners added• 1,000,000 youth impressions• 150,000 youth engaged

CORPORATE PARTNER: MATTEL• In 2010 $500,000 from

Mattel Children's Foundation for Young Athletes , curriculum and school-youth activities • Nearly $6 million since

2005• 31,000 Mattel employees

have volunteered• 22 countries (34 Programs) • 350 sports events

PROJECT UNIFY® REACH47 |

• Universal concept• Global Expansion made possible by a generous multi-

year gift from from Stephanie and Ray Lane• Pilots in Europe-Eurasia and Asia-Pacific:

• Austria• Italy• Romania• Serbia• India

• European models more focused on community and involve sports clubs

• Asia models combine special schools with general education schools for after school activities

• Each region will customize but stay true to the characteristics and 3 critical components

PROJECT UNIFY® is not Made in USA48 |

Results

MOST RECENT EVALUATION RESULTS:

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• Students in Project UNIFY schools had positive perceptions of their school

• Students’ perceptions of their school climate is related to their level of involvement in Project UNIFY, meaning that:•Students who are more involved in Project UNIFY

are more likely to have positive perceptions of school climate, and/or;

•Students who have positive perceptions of school climate are more likely to become involved in Project UNIFY.

•Over two-thirds of teachers involved in Project UNIFY observed that PU helped raise awareness about students with ID and increased opportunities for student collaborations

MOST RECENT EVALUATION RESULTS:

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• 50% of all the schools involved youth with and without ID in planning Project UNIFY activities

• 96% of PU schools conduct some inclusive sports activity (Unified Sports®, inclusive Young Athletes®, Unified recreation)

•Over half of the schools implement 3 or more Project UNIFY activities

•Three quarters of students participating in PU said it was a positive turning point in their lives

•Strong correlation between PU experience, positive attitudes towards persons with ID and likelihood for social interaction

•Positive experiences gained from PU changed attitudes over the course of the school year.

Discussion52

i. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 2005.

ii. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2007. MMWR 2008; 57

iii. Developmental Neurorehabilitation 2009, Vol. 12, No. 3, Pages 146-151 , DOI 10.1080/17518420902971356

iv. Source: British Journal of Learning Support (2008)

v. Source: Disabilities: Insights from across Fields and around the World (2009)

vi. Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement an achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262–273.

vii. Yazzie-Mintz, E. (2007). Voices ofstudents on engagement: A report on the 2006 high school survey of student engagement. Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation & Education Policy, Indiana University School of Education.

viii.Siperstein, G. N., Parker, R.C., Norins Bardon, J., & Widaman, K. F. (2007). A National Study of Youth Attitudes toward the Inclusion of Students with Intellectual Disabilities. Exceptional Children, 73, 435-455.

ix. Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/Suicide/youthsuicide.htm, downloaded 5/13/10.

x. APA Stress in America Report, 2009

REFERENCES53 |