Washington, D.C. – April 23, 2024 – The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and Special Olympics, Inc. (Special Olympics) have partnered together to support athletic administrator's efforts in providing quality education-based sports participation opportunities and programming for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). The collaboration will focus on increasing the number of partnerships between NIAAA state associations and accredited Special Olympics state Programs by offering resources and training on Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming and interscholastic Special Olympics Unified Sports® best practices.
Unified Sports®, the most inclusive sports program worldwide, brings together Special Olympics athletes (individuals with ID) and Unified partners (individuals without ID) as teammates for training and competition. Unified Sports® is an integral part of the Unified Champion Schools® program—a strategy creating sports, leadership, and whole school engagement opportunities for students with and without ID.
“The NIAAA is honored to announce an alignment and direct relationship with Special Olympics and Unified Sports® programs. Today affirms a partnership built on assisting those administrating interscholastic Unified Sports® at the school level. This alignment ensures that best practices are shared with our members as they work to minimize risk and improve the quality of instruction within Unified Sports®."
More than 9,400 schools across the nation currently offer Unified Sports®, with a growing number participating in varsity-style interscholastic leagues. During the 2022 – 2023 school year alone, 4 million Unified Sports® experiences occurred at Unified Champion Schools® programs throughout the United States.
“This strategic partnership with the NIAAA represents a significant step toward a shared goal of providing the necessary tools and knowledge to continue ensuring an inclusive and equitable experience for all Unified Sports® participants. There are so many NIAAA members already passionately leading Unified Champion Schools® programming around the country; we look forward to partnering even more closely with them to build on the momentum they have created to increase participation opportunities in schools nationwide.”
For more information on NIAAA, please visit www.niaaa.org.
For more information on Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, please visit GenerationUnified.org.