Unified Sports unite individuals with and without special needs, creating opportunities for connection, teamwork, and a sense of belonging. Through shared goals, meaningful interactions, collaboration, and communication, teammates challenge stereotypes and redefine perceptions of what individuals with disabilities can achieve. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming, a school based initiative that promotes social inclusion for students with and without disabilities, is in more than 8,300 schools across the United States, with a goal of being in 10,000 schools by 2024. The Wheatley School takes pride in being one of the 8,300 schools across the United States that implements Unified Sports to create a “school [climate] where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in, and feel a part of, all activities, opportunities and functions.” This program cultivates an inclusive school climate, breaking down barriers and promoting understanding among students.
Filled with the sounds of bouncing basketballs, laughter, layups, and words of encouragement, the moment you step into the gymnasium, you are struck by an atmosphere of joy and connection. It is a space full of laughter and energy, where no individual is left isolated or alone. Everywhere you look, students are surrounded by teammates and friends, cheering each other on, taking the time to learn each other’s names, asking questions, and ensuring that every player feels valued. After a long day of school, this is a place where every player can release their energy, socialize with others, and engage both their minds and bodies. After students get their energy out while dribbling and passing basketballs to each other, Coach Portente calls everybody to the center for warm-ups. These warm-ups include running, side shuffles, jumping jacks, touching hands to knees, and more. During the warm-ups, participants take turns leading the group, an opportunity that helps them build their confidence and leadership skills. Typically, the leader counts the odd numbers while everybody else counts the even ones. For example, the leader would yell “1,” and the group responds with “2,” continuing up to 10. This exercise plays an important role in practice, especially for students who may not normally have the chance to lead or speak up. I saw how much students enjoyed stepping into the leader role, and it seemed to boost their confidence- especially for the students who were new to the program or a bit more shy. This allowed these students to introduce themselves, interact with others, and become more comfortable speaking in front of the group. Through this simple, yet effective, exercise everyone on the team could feel supported and united.
Students are given the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to take a layup, jump shots, or another type of shot. Without fear of judgment, players give their best shot. Even when they miss, rather than giving up, their teammates continue to cheer them on from behind. The uplifting rhetoric created by the environment and words of encouragement such as “you are doing awesome,” gives the students room to overcome their fears and learn from their mistakes. As a result, players are able to push past mistakes and overcome potential fears, prompting them to keep trying when they feel discouraged. Once the warm-ups are finished, scrimmages start. To divide the scrimmage teams, one team receives bright colored pinnies, a sleeveless shirt worn over other clothing to differentiate teams during practice, and the other team is without pinnies. Players sprint up and down the court, working with their teammates to get the ball in the hoop. Watching the scrimmages, you can see how the Wheatley players work together, moving as a unit while using hand motions to guide one another. Every player is hustling, moving up and down the court, dribbling, and making sure to pass the ball to those who have not gotten the chance to dribble or shoot a basket. Teammates make it a priority to include each other so every player gets the opportunity to try their favorite move, whether it is dribbling, passing, a layup, a jump shot, or something else. This sense of inclusion ensures that every player feels valued, knowing they are an important part of the team both on and off the court One standout player during these scrimmages is Eric Cheng who is known for his enthusiastic attitude, fast hustle, and several points he collects during games. To celebrate his impressive athletic achievements both during scrimmages and real games, he received a school sports award. This award sends a powerful message to the broader community about inclusivity by breaking down preconceived ideas about what people with special needs can accomplish. These scrimmages help mentally and physically prepare the team for basketball games against other schools.
Being able to watch games against other teams was a heartwarming experience. As you enter the gymnasium, the atmosphere is full of energy with parents, students, and teachers cheering for the school team with foam fingers in hand. The teams, dressed in their school’s jersey, stand ready to give it their all and support each other. When the games start, players use their practiced skills to work together and communicate through high fives, hand signals, fist bumps, and words of encouragement. In instances where players feel disheartened or disappointed in themselves because they are disappointed with their performance, players immediately uplift and assist. This support allows every player to feel comforted and more confident in their basketball abilities, contributing to a growth mindset. A growth mindset is “when students understand that their abilities can be developed,” and that is what took place at these games due to this encouraging behavior. This positive environment allowed students, especially those who hadn’t previously been on a team to understand that they could improve with effort and persistence. This mindset and uplifting attitude is also why the Unified Basketball team won the championship, not once, but twice!! The roster included: Faraz Anwar, John Barton, Eric Cheng, Julia DeGaetano, Olivia Delbroccolo, Shannon Flachner, Daniel Gazit, Troy Golden, Anna Han, Ahsan Ijaz, Shawn Kaye, Iman Kermalli, Sadie Keys, Aunrie Lewis, Reilly Lindenauer, Ben Low, Emma Lyoshir, Aadi Patel, Shakshi Patel, Sean Rummel, Anthony Sampogna, Arjun Sankaran, Max Saraf, Kara Shinder, Brijesh Singh, Richard Steinberg, Sophia Steinberg, Abigail Thaler, and Hunter Topping.
A few players on this team even talked about their experience playing Unified basketball, and discussed how it has been such a memorable experience for them. Emma Lyoshir, being on the team for two years, shared her experience with Unified Basketball- saying, “I love it and look forward to it every year.” Olivia Delbroccolo, another teammate, mentions, “It was fun, rewarding, and a very good atmosphere because it built a lot of friendships and connections.” Lastly, we had Mr. Portente talk about his experience as the coach. He contentedly shared about his experience, saying, “It was my favorite thing that I do. You can see special ed and gen ed students come together, giving each other high fives and hugs in the hallway. It is a very cool thing to see, and I love the emphasis on inclusion.” Unified basketball provides space for everyone to have an opportunity to participate in sports. All these individuals were grateful they had the opportunity to participate in creating an inclusive environment through the integration of Unified Sports at Wheatley.
The Wheatley School also offers Unified Bowling during the winter sports season. However, unlike Unified Basketball, I have not had the chance to witness the practices and competitions firsthand, as the season doesn’t start until February. Fortunately, Coach Portente shared valuable insights about the Unified Bowling program, which takes place at Garden City Lanes. Coach Portente paints a vivid image of a program that thrives on inclusivity, teamwork, and positivity by describing atmosphere as “electric” and “pure fun.” Practices typically consist of one or two games; there is an emphasis on improving form and technique. Participants work on important skills, such as refining their bowling stance and improving their aim, while receiving guidance from other students and coaches to ensure that sessions are both productive and fun. The format typically includes doubles and singles games, and each general education studen is paired with a special education student. This structure allows meaningful relationships between the athletes and their partners. Whether celebrating a well-rolled strike or a high five to encourage the participant after a gutter ball, the vibrant energy at Garden City Lanes is inspiring. Competitions are also enthusiastic, and participants are given a chance to showcase their skills while also enjoying themselves. There is an emphasis on inclusion and sportsmanship since athletes and their partners are cheering each other on every step of the way. This encouragement ensures that everyone feels supported, celebrated, and valued, regardless of the scoreboard.
Unified Bowling is special because all athletes can thrive. All students can build strong and meaningful connections through this program. The roster for Unified Bowling includes: Faraz Anwar, Asad Aslam, Noah Blumberg, Ethan Blumberg, Eric Cheng, Dylan Cozzolino, Antonio Daskalakis, Shannon Flachner, Daniel Gazit, Shawn Kaye, Tyler Levine, Reilly Lindenauer, Shakshi Patel, Sean Rummel, Anthony Sampogna, Brijesh Singh, and Hunter Topping. Hunter Topping spoke about his experience stating, “It was fun because I love the team and playing against other teams. I want to do it again, and it was a great experience.” Based on the description of practices and games from the coach and athletes, I am excited to witness Unified Bowling firsthand when the season begins in February.
The Wheatley School is a school that focuses on bringing students from both special and general education together. Special Needs Alliance wrote that “children with special needs are both more likely to be bullied or harassed and also more likely to be seriously harmed by it.” Through programs like Unified Sports which emphasize inclusion and celebrating our differences rather than looking down on them, The Wheatley School is able to prevent this bullying and harassment towards children with special needs. The school implements programs such as these to actively work to prevent these harmful behaviors that occur often and ensure that no child is left to feel unsafe or excluded. Special Olympics Resources writes that “research on Unified Sports has found that Unified Sports athletes experience improved social competence and social inclusion while decreasing problem behaviors.” Aribeth Gu, a senior at the Wheatley School, mentions their family friend is actively looking for a house in the East Williston district, especially because “our school district has programs that integrate life skill kids with other holistic pathways through theater, connections club, unified sports, etc. This level of inclusivity cannot be found anywhere else” As Aribeth points out, “parents are actively seeking houses in our school district just for their kids to receive this unique opportunity that our school offers.” Mecca Douglas, who volunteers within the Life Skills program, which prepares students with special needs for post-secondary life, adds a similar statement saying “I think our school is especially inclusive. My aunt is a teacher and her school doesn’t have a life skills program or unified sports. Many schools do not have these opportunities, but I think having these programs is important since they give kids with special needs a chance to have the same experiences and provide more opportunities to build relationships.”
Being able to feel safe and being surrounded by a diverse environment is important. Programs such as Unified Sports bridge gaps between different groups to foster understanding, empathy, cognitive thinking, creativity, and other important skills. School of Education American University elaborates on this, by explaining the benefits and importance of diversity in the classroom. Diversity improves cognitive skills and thinking by allowing students to acquire the skill of understanding other perspectives and opinions beyond those that they have already formed. The article mentions that “diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not.” Diversity also promotes creativity by bringing new and different ideas to create something personal, powerful, and unique. The more different perspectives and opinions you learn, and the more you interact with people from different backgrounds and groups, the more creative you become. Through education initiatives, we can foster a sense of belonging and community. Changing Perspectives writes that disability inclusion in education “fosters a sense of community in which diversity is valued” and “ensures all students have a role.” As Changing Perspectives shares, it is essential to create a unified community where every voice matters, and every individual is heard.
The Wheatley School emphasizes acceptance and respect for all individuals, no matter their identity or background. This spirit of unity, openness, and diverse environment makes our school a safe place to learn and a community where every student can thrive. Unified Sports is a program that plays a key role in fostering inclusivity at our school by bringing together students of all abilities to compete, work together, and form meaningful friendships. It helps break down barriers, allowing students to build connections based on mutual respect as every player learns how to uplift one another through words of encouragement, constant high fives, and bright smiles. When you watch the practices and games, you can see an inclusive community where every person can grow, succeed, and feel accepted. As an anonymous student summarizes, Unified Sports “gives our students opportunities to interact with the life skills students on a level playing field, promoting a unity that is not present without it. Life Skills students are isolated from so-called “normal” kids at every turn, and a sports team where they aren’t is a good step in the right direction. Unified Sports can break the chains of social hierarchies that bind us and bring us to true unity.”
https://resources.specialolympics.org/research/unified-sports-research
