Inclusive Education

This past spring, Special Olympics Youth Leaders Britany and Denisher embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever. As part of the Special Olympics Unified Youth Exchange program, which is funded under Department of State’s International Programming Initiative (ISPI), they participated in a two-way exchange between Special Olympics Jamaica and Special Olympics D.C.. The program brought together delegations from both regions, each consisting of four Youth Leaders with intellectual disabilities (ID), four Unified Partners without ID, and four adult mentors. Together, they shared experiences, fostered inclusion, and strengthened bonds through cultural excursions, Unified sports, and engaging activities in both Washington, D.C., and Jamaica.

Special Olympics Rwanda will host the region’s first continental gathering set to expand Unified Champion Schools across Africa—with support from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Over 40 youth leaders with and without intellectual disabilities from 14 Asian Pacific countries gathered in Singapore earlier in June for the “Youth for Inclusion: Expanding Unified Champion Schools” summit.

On 18 April 2024, Special Olympics International (SOI) joined the Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education (CUE) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in co-hosting the CUE Symposium on Education Systems Transformation for and through Inclusive Education.

Experts from the Brookings Institution, Special Olympics International and the Global Partnership for Education will explore how policymakers can overcome current obstacles to make schools and communities more inclusive for learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

We spent some time with Sara Minkara, Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, to learn more about her perspective and the role of teachers in her life: