A Magic Partnership: Disney, ESPN, and Special Olympics Partner in a World-Wide Initiative
By Haylie Bernacki, Specialist of Unified Sports School and College Growth, Special Olympics North America Project UNIFY For years, a main initiative within Special Olympics Project UNIFY schools and State Programs has been the expansion of Unified Sports, which combines individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. Project UNIFY State Program staff are expanding relationships with state interscholastic associations to increase the credibility, reach, and depth of Unified Sports throughout school districts across the country. The hope is that every child will be able to play on a school sports team, regardless of their ability level.
The importance of Unified Sports has grabbed the attention of Disney and ESPN. With a multi-million dollar financial and in-kind investment, Disney and ESPN will support Special Olympics’ goal of registering one million Unified Sports participants, including athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities), teammates (individuals without intellectual disabilities) and coaches, by 2015. Special Olympics Unified Sports is currently active in more than 2,500 schools in 45 states, in the United States alone, with over 500,000 participants globally. The new collaboration, announced by John Skipper, ESPN President, and Timothy P. Shriver, Special Olympics CEO and Chairman, expands on Disney’s and ESPN’s 30-year commitment to Special Olympics.
Tim Shriver, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Special Olympics International stated, "We are thrilled that Disney and ESPN recognize the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports and want to support the growth of our program that creates a level playing field in schools and