In 1962, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver launched what would become Special Olympics, giving athletes with intellectual disabilities the space to compete in sports just like their non-disabled peers. The sports world was never the same.

Now, another Special Olympics initiative, Project Unify, is gathering steam. The program, which was introduced in Arkansas in 2013, seeks to go even further in eliminating stereotypes that still persist. “This is an important movement,” says Camie Powell, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations for Special Olympics Arkansas. “This is all about leveraging youth as game changers.”

Project Unify, or Club Unify at the elementary school level, is a program that seeks to drive change in attitudes, understanding and acceptance of persons with intellectual disabilities. The program provides schools a framework of activities that focus on leadership, understanding and appreciation of others’ differences. “Every generation has their own injustice to solve,” Powell says. “For today’s youth, that means making sure everybody is included and accepted.”

This isn’t the first Special Olympics program to provide a blending of disabled and non-disabled participants on a common activity. The organization’s unified sports program fields teams equally comprised of disabled and non-disabled athletes in sports as diverse as basketball and bocce, soccer and bowling. Competition ranges from low-key, recreational play to the full competitive program which can advance to national and international competition.

While unified sports competition is one component of a Project Unify school, it’s only one tool the program employs to help educate its participants in matters of tolerance and acceptance. Whole school engagement is also stressed, with initiatives that give all students the chance to participate.

One example is “Spread the Word to End the Word,” an ongoing international campaign against the words “retard” or “retarded” as derogatory slang. Trea Kiser, a 16-year-old from Cabot, is passionate about putting a stop to the “R” word. Though non-disabled himself, he and his family have been actively volunteering at Special Olympics events for years. He is resolute in addressing ignorance head-on: “It’s embarrassing how people treat these champions,” he says. “I’ve heard my classmates say the ‘R’ word and I don’t let them get away with thinking that’s OK.”

It takes a lot of courage to stand against such thinking, which is why Project Unify’s third component, youth leadership and advocacy, provides students of all abilities the opportunity to develop leadership skills. Youth summits for leadership training attract teens from across the country. Kiser recently attended a summit in New Jersey, along with Elijah Smith, 16, of Van Buren. Smith, a Special Olympics flag football athlete, has also attended summits closer to home. “It helped me to step out of my comfort zone and take that first step to make friends” Smith says. “I used to be pretty quiet and not wanting to talk, but this event has helped me to speak first and meet new people.”

Forming new friendships is the bedrock for the kind of change to which Project Unify aspires. Partner Clubs bring intellectually disabled and non-disabled kids together to volunteer for Special Olympics events or organize pep rallies for Special Olympics athletes attending that school.

Nationally, 38 state chapters have launched Project Unify programs, boasting more than 600,000 student participants. In Arkansas, Powell says eight schools have already signed on for the 2014-2015 school year. “Everybody has a place and an ability,” Powell says, “and everybody should be celebrated for that.”

For information on bringing Project Unify to your school, call Jennifer Grantham at 771-0222.

Special Olympics Facts

  • Special Olympics began as summer camps held in the 1950s and 1960s in the backyard of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who saw how children with intellectual disabilities of the time were excluded from sports and fitness activities.
  • By 1968, the summer camps had grown to the first International Special Olympics Summer Games in Chicago, which hosted 1,000 athletes from 26 states and Canada. Today, the International Special Olympics Games hosts thousands of athletes from around the world and includes summer and winter components.
  • The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics launched in Kansas in 1981, and is the single largest fundraiser for the organization, raising $30 million annually. All Special Olympics sports programs are provided free of charge.
  • Special Olympics Arkansas was founded in 1970. The North Little Rock-based organization hosts 240 competitions annually across the state. More than 14,000 registered athletes, unified partners and young athletes compete in 20 sports in area, state, national and international competition. The group’s programs require the help of some 5,000 volunteers annually.