2020 Unified Champion Showcase hosted by University of Louisville Intramurals and attended by University of Kentucky and Showcase Winners – Centre College.
Special Olympics College Club programs are made up of three core elements: Unified Sports, Youth Leadership, and opportunities for Full Campus Engagement.
Special Olympics College Clubs
Special Olympics College Clubs function as an official student organization on campus and are led by students with and without intellectual disabilities. Many clubs also allow Special Olympics athletes from the community as members. Members of a Special Olympics College Club gain experience participating in Unified Sports and hosting Special Olympics events thus creating meaningful inclusion of people with and without intellectual disabilities in the campus community.
Special Olympics Unified Sports® Intramurals
In partnership with NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, hundreds of colleges are providing Special Olympics Unified Sports intramural leagues on campus. These leagues are inspired by a simple principle: training, playing and competing together is a quick path to friendship, understanding and meaningful inclusion. These leagues welcome student partners and Special Olympics athletes at any level of skill or experience.
“I never knew exactly what Unified Sports was until I became involved with it at UofL. It truly has been an eye opening experience for me where I get to see Special Olympics athletes and UofL partners interact in a positive light. I know throughout my time at UofL I will always stay involved in the UofL Unified Program because of all the positive impacts it has made not only on me, but others.”
-Kat Halbleib, UofL Assistant Director of Intramurals (pictured left of SOKY Athlete Dallas Derringer)
Kentucky SO College Programs
University of Louisville Thomas More University University of Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky University Morehead State
To find out more about SO College programs visit https://www.specialolympics.org/our-work/unified-schools/college or if you are interesting in joining or starting a SO College Club at your university, email Karen at [email protected].