Unified Sports
What is 'Unified Sports' at BCEMS?
In three words: Unified Sports is about Leadership, Inclusion, and Fun.
Unified Sports is about promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. It puts people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, and is inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability, which makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.
Why Unified Sports Matters
Young people with disabilities don't often get a chance to play on their school sports teams. Fortunately, more and more schools are adopting the Unified Sports approach pioneered by Special Olympics.
For almost 20 years, Special Olympics has offered sports teams that blend people with and without intellectual disabilities, a model that encourages sports and fun, and which brings people together to learn more about each other.
Unified Champion Schools
With sports as the foundation, Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a strategy that offers a unique combination of sports, education and leadership activities to equip young people with tools and training to create sports, classroom and school climates of acceptance and inclusion. The activities and opportunities provided through the program help to reduce bullying and exclusion, promote healthy activity and interactions, combat stereotypes and stigma, eliminate hurtful language in schools and engage people in social activities that lead to personal growth.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a comprehensive program of the Unified Schools strategy that combines Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole School Engagement to create the greatest impact.
Forms
Here you will find forms you will need to participate in Unified Sports. Forms must be complete prior to beginning practice. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Burgess.
Athlete/Partner Well Exam Release Form
Our opponent is intolerance.
Only shoulder-to-shoulder, as teammates together, can we defeat it.
Learn more about Special Olympics Vermont and Unified Sports here: Special Olympics VT/Unified Sports
