Our goal is to make Minnesota’s schools more inclusive.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a movement aimed at empowering a generation of student leaders to change their school culture to be more inclusive. With sports as the foundation, the three-component model offers activities that equip students with tools and training to create teams, classrooms and entire schools of acceptance. Unified Champion Schools are schools where students with disabilities feel welcome and are meaningfully included in all school activities, opportunities and functions.
This is accomplished by implementing three components of Unified Champion Schools: Inclusive Student Leadership, Unified Sports, and Whole School Engagement. All three areas are crucial to shift the culture of a school towards inclusion. Once the three components are active, a school is considered a Unified Champion School.
In the news
Fostering inclusion through Special Olympics
March 20, 2025 – As the end of spring semester approaches, Special Olympics College Club (SOCC) at Concordia will close out its first official year as a campus organization.
St. Kate’s Special Olympics club grows in unity
February 19, 2025 – In the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Kate’s welcomes all without distinction. To love thy neighbor without distinction radiates from the core of St. Kate’s Special Olympics Club, Unified Katies.
Athletes come together for the State Unified Championship
February 19, 2025 – It’s high school tournament time. Today, teamwork took center court at Target Center. Photojournalist Nick Lunemann takes us to the State Unified Championship where teams of athletes with and without disabilities show us what sportsmanship looks like.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
