In April, I traveled to San Antonio, Texas to watch the High School State Unified Interscholastic League Track meet. The program works like any other Varsity program; high schools compete against each other in local meets to go to regionals and eventually, state. The goal of Unified Track is to foster inclusion among students across ability.

Students with intellectual disabilities are less likely to participate in school sports than students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) [Lipscomb et al., 2017,  Dymond et al., 2019].  Coaches and parents at the meet reflected on how people assume students’ limitations based on ability rather than explore what students can do. Through programs like Special Olympics and Unified Sports, students are given the opportunity to discover, demonstrate, and grow their competitive athletic skills.

The Unified State Track meet had all the trimmings of an end-of-season event: inflatable archways welcoming teams, staff and volunteers coordinating events, and referees ensuring regulations are followed. Unified Track feels like any other Track meet because of the competition and camaraderie. Many coaches and parents observed, ‘it’s great seeing the students support each other, even from different schools. One parent watching the long jump noticed the other teams would congratulate the jumpers after each, and even exchange feedback on technique. From the shotput to relays, each event is intense, and every athlete, regardless of ability, has a crowd of people representing all schools cheering them on. Beyond cheers, there is palpable pride in the athletic performances. “It’s not a feel-good sport, it’s a real-good sport” (Unified Programs Executive Director).  

Moreover, athletes are not just learning from their wins. One coach spoke about an athlete feeling like they let their team down with their performance. ‘That feeling is the essence of what these programs can bring to students. When you are a part of a team, you share in the wins and the losses.’ The feeling of “letting my team down” comes from being part of a team. When an athlete sees their actions affect the team’s score, the athlete experiences belonging. For students who have been protected from competitions or isolated from their peers at school, Unified track allows them to meaningfully belong to their school beyond the classroom.

By Nathan Barrett, Research Assistant at the Center for Social Development and Education