The Power of Inclusion

 

Today, Chris is helping his fellow students in class at Clovis North High School. After completing his work, Chris bounces from group to group checking in on his classmates. Chris has grown significantly socially and academically in a short amount of time due to his participation in Special Olympics Unified Soccer.

This August Clovis Unified School District and the Tri-River Athletic Conference in partnership with Special Olympics Northern California kicked off their inaugural Unified Soccer league. Special Olympics Unified Sports is an inclusive sports opportunity for students with and without disabilities to participate as equals on the same school team thus benefitting and unifying the entire campus. Chris enrolled in soccer and began playing for Clovis North High School.

Teachers noticed changes in Chris immediately. Chris went from socially struggling to confidently engaging with his peers. For the first time, Chris is part of a team. Being part of a team meant that he was treated with respect by his peers because he was part of something bigger. Chris’s teacher Roman Gonzalez said, “Being part of a team made him shine and that is all driven by peer engagement”.

Giving students like Chris an opportunity to shine is why we provide Unified Sports programs. Chris’s family and teachers are thrilled with the changes. It’s more than pushing a ball down the field, it’s about being given the chance to be included and show what you can do. Gaining confidence is a skill that Chris will carry with him his whole life. We are looking forward to seeing Chris compete in basketball in the Spring.

 

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Basketball Unites High School Students

Unified basketball is making big changes at schools – one practice and one competition at a time. We had a blast seeing this at a Unified basketball tournament in Livermore!

Granada High School hosted rival Livermore High School and nearby Dublin High School for a riveting Unified basketball tournament. About 50 athletes – with and without disabilities – played together as teammates while more than 200 students cheered from the stands!

A student receiving special education services at Dublin High recounted that scoring and hearing the people cheering were his favorite parts.

Many of the general education students participating play on their varsity basketball teams. Some student aides from the special education classes also played on the Unified team. In the spirit of sportsmanship, some Granada general education students filled in on the Dublin team and said it was wonderful to play together regardless of ability. For many of the general education students playing, seeing and hearing all the fans cheering for every school highlighted the day.

Granada HS seniors volunteered as referees and some of the GHS cheerleaders offered their support as well! Students from nearby Joe Mitchell School even walked over to watch.

Livermore High School Athletic Director James Petersdorf said that Unified basketball is making a very real and accepting difference at his school. The varsity basketball players are now saying hello to their Unified basketball teammates on campus, something that Petersdorf notes has never happened before.

Granada Unified is adding bowling this week!

To see more about the power of Unified Sports, click here!

Thanks to Granada for hosting!

Special Olympics Northern California Partners With CIF to Create Inclusive Sports

On Monday, Nov. 30, the course of high school sports and the field of intellectual disabilities was changed for the good. In a landmark decision many years in the making, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), Special Olympics Northern California and Southern California along with the California Department of Education announced a partnership to establish an inclusive culture that promotes participation opportunities for student-athletes with disabilities!

This official partnership elevates the life-changing power of sports for students of all abilities to the state level and includes Unified Sports, which pairs students with and without disabilities on the same school team. In addition to offering more athletic opportunities to an increased number of students, this partnership makes an indelible mark on California school culture as it promotes respect for all students.

Why is this so important for students of all abilities?

To have CIF and the California Department of Education recognize the incredible power of students of all abilities having the opportunities to play sports is quite literally game changing. This opens doors for students with disabilities to play sports just like their peers in general education. More importantly, it creates a level playing field for all students, regardless of their abilities. It brings together two groups of students – those with and without disabilities – to be teammates. When schools have Unified Sports on their campus, there is less bullying and more friendships created.

What will this new partnership look like at the high school level?

Individual high schools can choose to start a Unified Sports program in a variety of ways, choosing one that works for the own school and current athletics program. Schools should look to engage resources on their campus that include athletics, sports teams, special education, clubs or other student groups. Schools should contact their appropriate Special Olympics chapter office and also look to the California Interscholastic Federation and their website for “How to start and Inclusive Sports Program” for information and resources to get started (Click here to see!). The main thing is to start small and it will grow!

How did this partnership come about?

For the past few years Special Olympics has been working with the California Interscholastic Federation with pilot Unified Sports leagues to enhance the already amazing experience for students to represent their high school as an athlete. Often times there are barriers to entry for other students on campus that are not part of the traditional sports programs that were being offered. These pilot programs have been executed with amazing results. Students, teachers, administrators and parents all see the value and opportunities that inclusive Unified Sports offer.

Since the early 2000s, Special Olympics Northern California and Southern California have been providing athletic opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities through the Schools Partnership Program. The Special Olympics Northern California Schools Partnership Program brings sports to K-12 public schools. Multiple schools and school districts across California have been introducing Unified Sports with well-deserved fanfare and incredible success with Liberty Union High School District starting our very first one with guidance of Athletic Director Steve Amaro. This new partnership with CIF and CDE increases the positive impact that Unified Sports makes.

It is estimated that over 10 percent of the students in California schools have a documented disability. The inclusion of athletic programs for students with disabilities increases opportunities and encourages access to the academic benefits through athletic participation. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports team, teaching teamwork and the value of inclusion for all participants.

What They’re Saying

“As a former coach, I am so pleased about the new partnership. It will help schools ensure that students with intellectual, developmental, physical and other types of disabilities have an equal opportunity to benefit from all the things they can learn by participating in sports – teamwork, discipline, focus, persistence, practice, healthy living and so many other life lessons.” – State Superintendent Tom Torlakson

“CIF’s visionary decision to partner with both Special Olympics Northern and Southern California in order to provide students with greater access to the Unified Sports program enables us to move closer to a world where the intellectually disabled are accepted by society as a whole and inclusion is commonplace.” – Special Olympics Northern California President & CEO David Solo

“Unified programs will offer new and expanded opportunities on our high school campuses. Working with California Special Olympics and California Department of Education, CIF will provide strategies and best practices for integrating and growing unified sports programs at our 1,576 member schools.” – CIF Executive Direction Roger L. Blake

With the announcement of this partnership CIF launched a new section on http://www.cifstate.org titled “Inclusive Sports.” This resource will provide CIF member schools with tools to implement programs for students with disabilities on their school campuses. We are so excited for the future of sports in California!

Seaside High Hosts Soccer Competition for All Abilities

There was something for everyone at a recent soccer event hosted by Seaside High School in Monterey! More than 300 students competed or volunteered, ranging in age from elementary to secondary students to college students! It was a wonderful competition and the perfect way to kick off the 2015-16 season in Monterey!

“This is our first year participating, and my favorite part about coming to this event was seeing the softer side of my students.” Water Colten Middle School Leadership Teacher Kim Kellam said. “They took it to the next level and are showing compassion and wanting to help other students. I am very proud of how everyone is pulling together and having a great time”

All new programs begin the Schools Partnership Program in “pilot” status. Typically, this means selecting one grade level (pre-K, elementary, middle, high school/transition) to participate in a single eight-week sport season and engage in two Whole-School Involvement activities. New programs may remain in “pilot” status for up to three sports seasons. This year, Monterey moved out of pilot mode to full program mode and this was their second soccer competition at Seaside High School. We were thrilled to add Monterey as a fully engaged Schools Partnership Program partner!

With such amazing support from the students, schools and coordinator, the event was running so smooth and on time which allowed even more opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to compete! Elementary and middle school students competed in soccer with support from middle and high school and college volunteers. In all, 18 classes from 10 different schools had a blast at this Seaside HS competition!

More than 180 student-athletes competed in traditional soccer – which solely featured student-athletes receiving special education. Just under 40 athletes competed in Unified soccer – where students with and without disabilities play together on the same team.

“This event is great!” Crumpton Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Mel Tanesco said. “The adaptive physical education teachers help to work on activities such as kicking and more, but this event and the overall program play a huge roll in students’ social skills. I think it’s great that the general education student can participate as well in the unified games.”

The Cal State Monterey Bay soccer team volunteer and ran the skills station, Seaside High School’s leadership class ran the Opening Ceremonies, refereed games, handed out awards and more! Walter Colten Middle School ran field-day activities, such as bean-bag toss, obstacle course that students could visit during game breaks.

“I loved this event!” Walter Colten Middle School Leadership Student Julia said. “I really enjoy seeing the students get so happy and play the games and knock down the pins. I really want to come back next year.”

Thank you so much to Seaside High School for hosting and everyone who competed! We look forward to many more Schools Partnership Program events in Monterey!

Step Inside Special Olympics at Rocketship Schools

This past school year, Rocketship Education in Santa Clara County got their first taste of the Schools Partnership Program! As pilot schools in 2014-15, three schools in the Rocketship program had Special Olympics at their school!

They hosted a basketball competition that was completely Unified! They also had skills competition! For the 2015-16 school year, Rocketship is adding one more school and adding soccer this fall! To see more about this partnership on Rocketship’s website, click here!

Rocketship even made a great video about Special Olympics in their schools!

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Welcome aboard, Rocketship!