On Friday, 28 February 2025, Special Olympics, Accenture, and four teams of university students came together for the final round of the Accenture Innovation Challenge (AIC). The Accenture Innovation Challenge is a yearly case consulting competition through which Accenture offers college sophomores across the country the opportunity to assist high-impact non-profits in addressing challenges by devising dynamic, real-world solutions. This year, Special Olympics was selected as AIC’s nonprofit partner and chose to present students with the challenge of creating a solution to answer the question: How should Special Olympics attract more adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) while addressing their unique physical activities and health needs?
This year, over 1,700 students from US universities applied to participate in AIC, and 188 students were selected to compete. Through their application and preparation, students learned about Special Olympics’ mission and population while devising innovative business cases. After two rounds of competition, four teams were ultimately selected to travel to Accenture’s office in Washington, D.C. and present their case to a panel of judges composed of Accenture and Special Olympics staff.
The four teams selected for the final round included the Quakers (University of Pennsylvania), Trojan and Company (University of Southern California), Longhorn Strategy Group (University of Texas at Austin), and 2Root (San Jose State and Claremont McKenna College). While teams were mainly composed of students from the same university, none of the students competing knew each other before AIC. Through the Challenge, each team came together to build its own identity as they worked towards a common goal.
Each of the four final teams brought innovative ideas to the table, highlighting the thought and care they put into understanding the Special Olympics athlete experience and the unique health challenges faced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As Accenture Senior Managing Director and President and CEO of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, Christy Sovereign, shared with the students, “Inclusion starts with every one of us, and it’s evident through the work you did that each of you are ambassadors for a barrier-free world… It is crystal clear you support the mission and the importance of accessibility and inclusion.”
The accessibility and inclusion-forward approach of the presentations was echoed by Novie Craven, Special Olympics Brand, Content and Communications Coordinator, host of Inclusion Revolution Radio, and a Special Olympics D.C. athlete. Novie served on the judging panel for AIC and shared, “It was phenomenal to connect with students who are supportive of Special Olympics. The students did a great job presenting in a way that I could understand. They broke it down and I think that says a lot, coming from an athlete perspective.”
Ultimately, the winner of the challenge was Team Quakers — Alice Nuyttens, Maria Ramos, Luna Wang, and Kathleen Zhang –who impressed the judges with their holistic approach to considering accessibility at every stage of their proposal—devising an app-based solution, which included considerations for responsible AI practice, alongside a paper-based solution for athletes who lack access to technology.
Composed of students across a wide range of majors, including Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, and Business, team member Maria Ramos credited the team’s range of backgrounds and personal connection to IDD as key factors in their success. She shared, “Early on it became very clear that [everyone on our team] was connected, related to, or touched by someone with IDD. We all came with a different set of skills but all very much with motivation to the core challenge of creating a solution that works for individuals with IDD.”
This summer, Accenture will work with Special Olympics on a pro bono project in line with this case question. At the conclusion of the presentations, Accenture also generously awarded Special Olympics with a check for $25,000 to further the work of fostering acceptance and inclusion of all people. As winners of the challenge, the Quakers will receive internships at Accenture for the summer of 2026.
While the Quakers walked away as the winners, all four projects presented Special Olympics with innovative ideas that can be carried forward to better serve athlete health and well-being. As Chief Health Officer Dimitri Christakis shared with the group, “There are no losers here – you are all winners – and the biggest winner is Special Olympics.”
