Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
New Hampshire
Special Olympics Project Unify
Project UNIFY is a U.S. national project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Its goal is to activate
young people around the country in an effort to develop school communities where all young people are
agents of change — fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities by utilizing
the programs and initiatives of Special Olympics.
Project UNIFY initiatives include a host of core activities, both on the national and the grass-roots level. Local
projects that meet Project UNIFY objectives are supported through grants for local Special Olympics
Programs.
1
Who I am is what I do: I have the honor of being a teacher/coach at Dover High School. One of the classes I teach is Unified Wellness which is a newer concept of teaching in NH. This amazing class is a combination of students with and without intellectual disabilities. I have been teaching this class for the past 9 years and I truly believe this class has changed the atmosphere of the DHS community where acceptance is the norm. Unified Wellness has also changed me into becoming a better teacher for all my students.
2
Summer of 2010 – NEC conference at University of Omaha, Nebraska.
Purpose: provide an opportunity to engage educators while increasing their knowledge and skills to motivate, educate and activate students with and without intellectual disabilities
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Project Unify in NH: NHIAA Sports and Unified Sports Day
NHIAA Unified Sports: 2011-12 Unified Soccer - 6, Basketball - 18, Track and Field - 14 2012-13 Unified Soccer - 9, Basketball - 19, Track and Field - 11, Volleyball - 7 2013-14 Unified Soccer - 14, Unified Basketball - 31, Track and Field - 11, Volleyball - 11 2014-15 Unified Soccer – 16, Basketball – 41, Track and Field – 11, Volleyball - 13 Offering a Unified Sports Day at Dover High School to include various schools from around the state where Athletes and Unified Partners can enjoy a day of activities in the hopes of developing Unified activities in their own schools. Through the Unified Sports day I hope students from the visiting schools will go back to their own schools and create programs that will be a good fit for each individual school. What works for Dover may not work for other schools but some of our ideas will. I am hoping that I will get more ideas from this day. I am also hoping that I will be helping to build a Unified Friendship network within NH. Dover High School hosted their first annual Unified Sports Day on May 11, 2011 and was a huge success. 2012 USD was offered at NEC, Plymouth State and UNH 2013High School hosted their own version of USD 2014 endless!
10 / Special Olympics Program Name
New Hampshire
DOUG EXPLAINED IT THE BEST IN HIS THANK YOU NOTE:
Why am I involved in project unify?
11
12 / Special Olympics Program Name
What one student told her parent:
This from a now 3 sport varsity athlete !
Paige was talking about what Dover unified sports means to her and she said it gives her something to look forward to after school and it gives her a sense of belonging. It also gives her a sense of safety at Dover High because she sees partners in the hallways and knows they would protect her if other students were bullying her.
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
CO UT
NM AZ
TX
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND MN
WI
IL
IA
MO
AR
LA
AL
TN
MI
PA
NY
VT
GA
FL
MS
KY
SC
NC
MD OH DE
IN WV
NJ
CT
MA
ME
RI
VA
NH
AK
States Participating in Project UNIFY
HI
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
CO UT
NM AZ
TX
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND MN
WI
IL
IA
MO
AR
LA
AL
TN
MI
PA
NY
VT
GA
FL
MS
KY
SC
NC
MD OH DE
IN WV
NJ
CT
MA
ME
RI
VA
NH
AK
HI
Interscholastic Partnerships - 2012
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
CO UT
NM AZ
TX
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND MN
WI
IL
IA
MO
AR
LA
AL
TN
MI
PA
NY
VT
GA
FL
MS
KY
SC
NC
MD OH DE
IN WV
NJ
CT
MA
ME
RI
VA
NH
AK
HI
Interscholastic Partnerships - 2013
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
CO UT
NM AZ
TX
OK
KS
NE
SD
ND MN
WI
IL
IA
MO
AR
LA
AL
TN
MI
PA
NY
VT
GA
FL
MS
KY
SC
NC
MD OH DE
IN WV
NJ
CT
MA
ME
RI
VA
NH
AK
HI
Interscholastic Partnerships + Emerging Relationships - 2015
Findings: School-Level Impacts
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Creating a more inclusive schoolclimate
Increasing participation of studentswith disabilities
Increasing opportunities for studentswith and without ID to work together
Raising awareness about studentswith ID in the school
Liaisons see Project UNIFY as Valuable to the School (Year 5 Data)
Did not make a difference Made a difference Made a big difference
Positive impact of Project UNIFY
The more involved schools are in Project UNIFY…
The greater the participation of students with disabilities in school activities
The more opportunities for students with and with disabilities to work together
The greater the student awareness of their peers with disabilities
Publications I Use
Special Olympics North America has designed a Unified PE resource guide with is being piloted Q4 of this year. Hopefully it will be available as early as this summer
Thank you
Questions? Contact me any time and if I do not have the answer I will get it for you.
