SOCT - Special Olympics of Connecticut

Featured Event

Unified Sports^®

Teammates and Friends...on and off the field

DEFINITION

Unified Sports is a program that combines approximately equal numbers of individuals with (athletes) and without (partners) intellectual disabilities on the same sports teams for training and competition. All participants are of similar age and ability. Unified Sports is an important program because it expands sports opportunities for athletes and partners seeking new challenges. In addition, Unified Sports dramatically increases inclusion in the community by helping to break down barriers that have historically kept people apart. At the same time, Unified Sports provides a valuable sports opportunity to individuals who are not presently involved with Special Olympics or other sports programs.

GOALS

Unified Sports is an additional means for carrying out and fulfilling the mission of Special Olympics. Sport-Specific Skill Development - Under the direction of qualified coaches, participants have the opportunity to develop and improve sport-specific skills as well as prepare themselves for participation in other community sports programs.

Competition Experience

Athletes benefit from physical and intellectual challenges when participating in a variety of competitions organized by Special Olympics, schools, or by community sports organizations.

Meaningful Inclusion

Unified Sports rules and guidelines on age and ability grouping help ensure that all team members play an important, meaningful and valued role on the team.

Community-Based Participation

Unified Sports programs receive valuable assistance from parks and recreation departments, schools, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and many other community sports organizations. These partnerships offer people with intellectual disabilities another opportunity to be a part of community life.

Transition and Choice

Unified Sports programs help schools meet transition mandates and provide a choice for players in and out of Special Olympics.

Public Education

Unified Sports increases public awareness of the spirit, skills, and abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Family Involvement

Siblings of Special Olympics athletes are provided a valuable opportunity to participate as partners or coaches.

Personal Development

Team members tend to improve their self-esteem, develop friendships, and gain an understanding of each other's capabilities through a spirit of equality and team unity.

PHILOSOPHY

Teams are constructed in such a way as to provide training and competition opportunities that meaningfully challenge and involve all athletes. These opportunities often lead to improved sports skills, higher self-esteem, equal status with peers, and new friendships.

PRINCIPLES

Unified Sports was adopted by Special Olympics Inc. in 1989 to expand sports opportunities for athletes seeking new challenges while dramatically increasing their inclusion in the community. Extensive field testing has demonstrated that the goals of Unified Sports are accomplished when the principles listed below are followed.

Readiness and Safety

Athletes should have the requisite skills to participate on a Unified Sports team without causing undue risk of injury to themselves or others.

Balanced Team Composition

All members of a Unified Sports team should be of similar age and ability. It is fundamental to the Special Olympics experience that each athlete on a team has the ability and opportunity to contribute to the team's success.

Leadership

Unified Sports teams should be organized under the guidance of a trained coach who knows the principles of Unified Sports and the techniques, strategies, and training regimens of the selected sport.

Training and Competition

All team members shall have a minimum eight weeks of training (practice, scrimmages, league competition, etc.) before the culminating Regional or Chapter competition.

Rules

All Unified Sports competitions should be conducted according to Official Special Olympics Sports Rules and under the supervision of qualified sports officials.

Competition Divisions

Unified Sports teams should be placed in appropriate age and ability divisions in accordance with the Official Special Olympics Sports Rules.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS CONNECTICUT (SOCT)

Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS)
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC)
Click here to visit the CAS/CIAC homepage

A Unified Sports^TM Partnership

As a part of the Special Olympics Connecticut outreach efforts for school-aged athletes, Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT) and the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) began a partnership in 1992 utilizing the Special Olympics Unified Sports program. Rapidly growing, Unified Sports is a registered sports program that combines individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (partners).

The SOCT/CAS partnership brings Unified Sports to student athletes with and without intellectual disabilities in Connecticut public and parochial schools, providing an opportunity for student athletes to train and compete in a variety of different team sports. Unified Sports events bring special education and regular education students together on the same playing field, using the athletic arena as a forum to help break barriers on a grassroots level and to mainstream students with intellectual disabilities.

This innovative approach has had and will continue to have a dramatic impact on the number of school age children who will now have the opportunity to participate in organized team sports through their school. The CAS/SOCT Unified Sports program currently boasts a participation of more than 1,100 athletes and partners, and 120 schools throughout the state. Unified Sports now offered within the program include Unified Sports Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball and Softball for middle and high school ages, along with Sports Skills events for elementary students.

CAS is a non-profit organization which provides education and activity opportunities for students in public schools. CAS is also linked with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) which governs all Interscholastic High School sports in Connecticut. By promoting Unified Sports as another one of the programs CAS offers, it is able to better fulfill their mission to improve the quality of education experiences for Connecticut students.

In 1992, CAS piloted two SOCT Unified Sports events that allowed over 200 elementary and middle school students with and without disabilities to compete in a variety of sports activities. The success of these events helped CAS to obtain a grant from Special Olympics International for the purpose of developing and expanding Unified Sports throughout Connecticut's schools.

Within this partnership, CAS is responsible for organizing and running Unified Sports competitions during the school year; recruiting and training public schools to participate in one Unified Sports event for each school level (elementary, middle, high) during each season of the school year; accessing tournament sites; and recruiting and training volunteers for the program.

Notable events include two Manchester High School Unified Sports basketball teams' demonstration game at half-time of a University of Connecticut's National Champions Lady Huskies game and the formation of a CAS/Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball League. Recently, the Central Connecticut Conference was the first of its kind in the nation to sanction competition for with intellectual disabilities.

Unified Sports®