Inclusive Sports
Why Unified Sports Was My Favorite Part of High School
My experience in Special Olympics Unified Sports® has been absolutely incredible and quickly became one of my favorite parts of high school. When I walked into my first Unified class, I instantly felt a sense of belonging and joy that I hadn’t experienced before. The students in that class were so excited to meet everyone and just participate in activities alongside their peers.
Everyday in Unified PE, we would play a different sport or game. One of my favorite activities was doing the Just Dance video game every Wednesday and seeing everyone express themselves through music. We also attended field trips where we competed against Unified teams from other schools. I actually ended up taking Unified classes multiple times each year and so did many of my peers because of how much they enjoyed the class. This year, Eastview expanded their Unified classes to include art, dance, cooking and keyboarding. These classes were especially fun because we got to try new activities, build new skills, and get to know each other.
I have gained so many things from Unified such as teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, I have learned how to adapt and work with many different people. Most of all, I have gained my passion for inclusion and built lifelong friends.
One memory that stands out to me when I think of Unified is when we hosted a Unified beach volleyball tournament and my team ended up winning the whole thing. We were all so excited that our hard work paid off and it was truly amazing to see everyone congratulating each other and celebrating our big accomplishment. Another memory is from the Unified flag football tournament where one of the developmental adapted physical education (DAPE) students, Lila, actually got the winning play. The excitement and joy on her face is what Unified is all about.
One thing I would want other people to know about Unified is that they might join thinking they will be helping the students with disabilities, but the truth is, the students with disabilities actually will likely end up helping you the most.