Transcript SPECIAL OLYMPICS Project UNIFY® 2| THE PATH WAGED BY ONE WOMAN… Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS Project UNIFY®
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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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...CREATED SPECIAL OLYMPICS
More than an event…
a Movement
It’s one thing to change a life.
It’s another to change the
entire community’s mindset.
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GLOBAL REACH
7 Global Regions
228 Local Programs
180 Countries
1,010,000 Coaches & Volunteers
3,400,000 Athletes
44,000 Events Each Year
World Games Every 2 years
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SPECIAL OLYMPICS IN NUMBERS
• 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
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THE NEED
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.
What We Are Up Against
Bullying and Safety Concerns
Isolation and Disengagement
Emotional Distress and Unhealthy Behavior
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ISSUES: BULLYING & SAFETY CONCERNS
For all students in school today feeling unsafe has a negative impact on learning:
28%
35.5%
of students say they were bullied at school within the last 6 months.i
of students reported being in a physical fight within the previous year.ii
For our population, bullying is the norm:
9%
of students with intellectual disabilities, are bullied or victimized once a week or more. iii
60%
of students with disabilities reported being bullied compared to 25 percent of the general
student population. iv
2-3x
Only 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
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ISSUES: ISOLATION & DISENGAGEMENT
All students who feel connected to their schools and engaged in their learning are more successful
academically and have healthier behavior, yet:
40-60%
of students in high school are chronically disengaged from school. vi
only 55%
of high school students feel they are an important part of their school community. vii
For persons with intellectual disabilities:
only 10%
Only
11-25%
of youth say they have a classmate or friend with intellectual disabilities. Isolation for children
with disabilities remains the norm. viii
of persons of employment age with intellectual disability have jobs as their transition from
school to work leaves huge numbers lost and alone.
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ISSUES: EMOTIONAL DISTRESS &
UNHEALTHY BEHAVIOR
All students must be healthy, safe and ready to succeed; yet, many are struggling:
only 34%
of students engage in enough regular physical activity, despite rising obesity.
15%
of high school students say they have seriously considered suicide within the last year.
11%
of high school students have made plans for suicide, and 7% have actually attempted to take
their own lives. ix
44%
of children report stress-related sleeping difficulties. x
Time to Think Differently
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THE CATALYST: SPECIAL OLYMPICS
We bring a unified, inclusive vision that helps people get along better.
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
A Vision of Inclusion
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PROJECT UNIFY®
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® GOALS
INCLUDE
UNIFY
SPECIAL ED STUDENTS
ALL STUDENTS
ADULT-LED
STUDENT-LED
SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES
SPORTS AS A CATALYST FOR SEL
AND SCHOOL CLIMATE CHANGE
School & Community Impact
Unified Sports
teams
Youth Activation
Committees
Engaged/Involved
Students
Schools:
All Students & Teachers
Family & Friends
School
Community
Communities,
Companies, &
Governments
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A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH
PRE- K/ELEMENTARY
Young Athletes™, “Get Into It®” curriculum & e-tools, Unify Day, Web site
information/ activities/ friendships, Fans in the Stands, assemblies
MIDDLE SCHOOL
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
HIGH SCHOOL
Unified Sports, “Get Into It®” curriculum & e-tools, Unify Day, Games, “R-Word”, webbased friendships, partners Clubs, social networking, essay contests, editorial writing,
volunteering, Fans in the Stands, assemblies & rallies
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3 Critical Components
I NCLUSIVE SPORTS
ACTIVITIES
Unified Sports®, Unified Sports® Player Development, Young Athletes™, Unified
recreation
I NCLUSIVE/ C OLLABORATIVE Y OUTH L EADERSHIP
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
S CHOOL- WIDE AWARENESS
AND
E NGAGEMENT
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
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A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH
School Assemblies
Pep Rallies
Get Into It
R Word Campaigns
Fans in the Stands
Partner Clubs, Youth
Committees
Youth Leadership
Unified Sports
Young Athletes
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A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH
School Climate
Change
R Word
Campaigns
Partner Clubs,
Fans in the Stands,
Young Athletes
Unfied Sports
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PROJECT UNIFY® PROGRAM ELEMENTS
Young Athletes™
– early intervention, ages 2-7
social and motor development
Get Into It®
service-learning, standardsaligned K-12 curriculum
Games and sports events
Volunteering, Fans In the Stands
Unified Sports® teams
R-Word Assemblies
and Rallies for Respect
Partners Clubs and ALPs –
Athlete Leadership/
Inclusive Youth Leadership
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
R-WORD & RALLY FOR RESPECT
• 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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
R-WORD & RALLY FOR RESPECT
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
R-WORD IMPACT
• 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.
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
CELEBRATING PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENCES
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® MISSION
To promote athleticism and social inclusion
through sports
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS® TEAMS
• 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
IMPACT
Reported Significant Change in
Self-esteem/Self-Confidence
ATHLETES WITH ID: 64%
ATHLETES WITHOUT ID: 37%
Reported Significant Change in
Social skills
ATHLETES WITH ID: 47%
ATHLETES WITHOUT ID: 65%
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
Unified Sports® Teams
SELF-ESTEEM/SELF-CONFIDENCE
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Athletes w/ID
Athletes w/out ID
Significant change
Athletes w/ID
Some change
No change
Athletes w/out ID
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH INCLUSION
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH CREATING UNDERSTANDING
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATION
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH FRIENDSHIP AND SOCIALIZATION
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH FRIENDSHIP AND SOCIALIZATION
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
UNIFIED SPORTS®
ADVANCES THE MISSION THROUGH COMPETITION EXPERIENCES
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
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DEMONSTRATING REAL IMPACT
93%
of PARTNERS say that they gained a BETTER UNDERSTANDING of individuals
with intellectual disabilities after playing Unified Sports®
64%
of ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES report an overwhelmingly
POSITIVE CHANGE in their self-esteem/confidence after playing Unified Sports®
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.
Data from Unified Partners (European study)
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GENERATING NOTHING SHORT OF
A TOTAL TRANSFORMATION
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
GET INTO IT®
• 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
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
PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
SO GET INTO IT®MATERIALS
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
GET INTO IT® MATERIALS
GII Active
Condensed 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 Move
Clips from films and TV
shows based on themes of
Different Abilities,
Acceptance, Power of
Words, and Youth
Leadership with teacher’s
guide
41
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
YOUNG ATHLETES™
• 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
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.
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
YOUNG ATHLETES™
Percent of teachers reporting improvement in the following areas:
75%
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
71%
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
69%
SELF HELP SKILLS
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT
65%
62%
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
ALPS & INCLUSIVE YOUTH LEADERSHIP
• 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.
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
GAMES & EVENTS
• 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
IMPACT
In 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 normalneeds kids no longer see
special-needs kids as
outcasts.”
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PROJECT UNIFY® ELEMENT
GAMES & EVENTS
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PROJECT UNIFY® REACH
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
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PROJECT UNIFY® is not Made in USA
• 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
Results
MOST RECENT EVALUATION RESULTS:
• 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
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MOST RECENT EVALUATION RESULTS:
• 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.
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Discussion
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REFERENCES
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