CIAC
(Athletics Division)


Upcoming Unified Sports® Meetings
Tue., 5/27, 4:00pm - Unified Sports Committee-Elementary (Meeting Room B2)
Wed., 6/4, 4:00pm - Unified Sports Committee-EMiddle School (Meeting Room B2)

Upcoming Unified Sports® Events/Deadlines
Mon., 5/12, 12:00-2:00pm - Unified Sports (Meeting Room B1)
Tue., 5/20, 8:30am-1:00pm - Youth Leaderful Summitt
Tue., 5/20, 8:30am-1:00pm - Youth Leadership Summitt (Classroom A2)
Tue., 5/20, 9:00am-1:00pm - Unified Sports Youth Leadership Summit (Lower Level)
Wed., 5/28 - Unified Track & Field DATE CHANGEd to May 29th!!! (West Haven High)

Complete Unified Sports Calendar | Complete CAS-CIAC Calendar

Unified Sports® News & Announcements

SCC HOSTS UNIFIED SPORTS BASKETBALL EVENT

The Second Annual Southern Connecticut Conference Unified Sports Basketball Tournament was held on February 4, 2008 at the beautiful New Haven Fieldhouse! Ten SCC league high school teams participated in the well-attended event. [more]

YOUNG ATHLETE PROGRAM ADDED TO UNIFIED SPORTS MENU

Now, young children, aged 2 and a half to seven years old, may participate in Unified Sports in their pre-school, under the new Special Olympics Young Athlete Program!The Connecticut Association of Schools is pleased to add this option to the menu of Unified Sports opportunities we sponsor. [more]

NEW YOUNG ATHLETE PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Ann Malafronte, Unified Sports Director, is pleased to announce that a coordinator has been hired for our new Young Athlete Pre-K Program. Beth Rasmussen, of Berlin, began her position at CAS/CIAC on October 30. [more]

BE A FAN -SPECIAL OLYMPICS/UNIFIED SPORTS

Special Olympics has recently launched a new program which is entitled, "Be A Fan". The idea is that you can get involved with Special Olympics in one of four ways. [more]

WEST HAVEN UNIFIED SPORTS TRACK DATE CHANGED

The NEW date for the Unified Sports Track Meet at West Haven High is Thursday, May 29th, due to a potential conflict on a rain date with the SCC league meet.

UNIFIED SPORTS BOWLING EXPANDS

West Haven High has sponsored a Unified Sports Bowling day for the past two years. The popularity of this event has caused us to expand it to include middle schools in 2008. Woodlawn Bowling in West Haven has served as our venue and graciously donated the facility for this to happen. Jon Capone, Athletic Director at WHHS, serves as the facilitator for this event and arranges for the pizza for the teams. Any middle school coach who is interested in joining the fun, may contact Jon at (203) 937-4360 or jcapone@whschools.org for additional information. We hope to see the interest continue to grow!

UNIFIED SPORTS ELIGIBILITY QUESTION

Thank you for your request for information on eligibility for Unified Sports. A great deal of information is available on our website, for future consideration, at www.casciac.org (click CIAC and then click Unified Sports on the left column, and scroll down to forms, Handbook, etc, as it all can be downloaded). [more]

INCREASING SPORT EQUITY

The Women's Sports Foundation has recently published a guidebook entitled, "Increasing Sport Equity & Physical Activity Participation: A Women's Sports Foundation Public Policy Guide". [more]



Sponsored By

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

  1. What is Unified Sports®?

    Unified Sports® is a registered program of Special Olympics that combines approximately equal numbers of athletes with and without mental retardation on sports teams for training and competition. All Unified Sports® players, both athletes and special partners, are of similar age and matched sport skill ability. Unified Sports® teams are placed in competitive divisions based on their skill abilities, and range from training divisions (with a skill-learning focus) to high level competition.

  2. What is the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program?

    In 1992, as part of an effort to reach school-aged athletes, Connecticut Special Olympics formed a partnership with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference to bring Unified Sports® to Connecticut's schools.

    The CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program operates throughout the school year and closely follows the school calendar. Unified Sports® events are organized each sport season for elementary, middle and high school students. All public and parochial schools in Connecticut are invited to participate. At the elementary level, students engage in non-competitive athletic activities designed to develop skills in a variety of sports. At the middle and high school level, students compete in statewide Unified Sports® tournaments. The CIAC currently holds tournaments in the sports of soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball. And, as the program continues to grow, new sports are sure to be added!

    This innovative approach has had and will continue to have a dramatic impact on the number of school age children who now have the opportunity to participate in organized team sports through their school. The CAS/Connecticut Special Olympics Unified Sports® program currently boasts a participation of more than 1300 athletes and partners, and 120 schools throughout the state.

  3. What are the benefits of the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program?

    The CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program provides a forum for positive social interaction between mentally disabled and non-disabled students. As Special Athletes and Special Partners train and compete together, they foster ties that develop into friendships both on and off the athletic field.

    Participation in Unified Sports® leads to new friendships, improved self-esteem and positive changes in attitude, behavior, and performance.

    The CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Program helps to foster an inclusive school community where the values of tolerance, patience and sensitivity are cornerstones.

    "Special Athletes and Special Partners train together, learn together and laugh together. Out of this experience, attitudes are changed and friendships are born."


  4. What does a school need in order to get involved in Unified Sports®?

    To start a Unified Sports® program in your school, you will need:

    1. an interested staff member to serve as the Unified Sports® coordinator/coach
    2. at least three (3) students who meet the Unified Sports® eligibility criteria. (NOTE: there is no minimum number of athletes required for participation in elementary Unified Sports® activities.)
    3. available athletic equipment/facilities for team practices
    4. the support of the principal and parents

    The Unified Sports® coordinator/coach is responsible for assembling a team and coordinating the practice schedule. These tasks can be easily accomplished with the cooperation of your special education and physical education personnel. If the coordinator/coach is not qualified to coach a Unified Sports® team, he/she can recruit assistance from a faculty member, school coach, parent or community member who has a familiarity with sports.

For questions and/or further information, contact Ann Malafronte, Director of Unified Sports, at amalafronte@casciac.org

DOWNLOAD HANDBOOK/FORMS

ENDORSEMENTS

"Passing a ball across a court or racing down a field side-by-side teaches tolerance and acceptance in a way that is rarely achieved in the classroom." -- K. Riordan, Coach, Memorial Middle School

"Unified Sports® competition drew out more self-confidence and courage in my students than I had seen in my classroom all year." -- Ellen Cunha, Coach, Glastonbury High School

"Just a wonderful concept: athletes of all ability levels coming together to work towards a common goal. Our students can hardly wait until next year's events begin." -- Steve Garneau, Coach, Pleasant Valley Elementary School

" It makes me feel good that I can make a difference in someone's life, to see the special education students so happy and enthusiastic to work with me." -- Tracy Eissa, Special Partner, Manchester High School

" The State Department of Education has a commitment to enhance and promote the integration of special education students in their local schools as well as increase their participation in their local communities. CAS-CIAC has demonstrated its commitment to this mission through its recognition of the need for this type of activity in Unified Sports®." -- Vincent Ferrandino, Former Commissioner of Education

"At the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® Volleyball Tournament at John Winthrop Junior High School, I could see and feel the enthusiasm from both Special Athletes and Special Partners. It was thrilling. It represented a terrific example of the collaborative model in action, with everybody willingly helping each other for the sheer joy of the experience." -- John Proctor, Superintendent, Regional School District #4

"The Unified Sports® Program helps our young people to appreciate their differences as well as their similarities in the athletic arena. It is an excellent counterpart to our academic mainstreaming efforts." -- Dr. Marjorie Bradley, Principal, Fawn Hollow Elementary, Monroe

"There was a significant increase in the skill level of the Special Athletes; and, what an excellent opportunity for growth for Special Partners. Partners noticed how good they felt to be able to help. They also felt a new understanding for their peers with special needs. The two Unified Sports® events I have participated in have been among the most rewarding experiences in my 21-year career in education." -- Kevin O'Donnell, Unified Sports® Coach

"Not only did I teach, but I learned; not only did I give, but I received. Little did I know how much a smile and a new friend would effect my life." -- D. Coleman, Special Partner

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

I. To be eligible for participation in Unified Sports(TM), an outgrowth of Special Olympics, a competitor must agree to observe and abide by the Official Special Olympics Sports Rules.

II. Unified Sports(TM) and its parent-arm, Special Olympics, were created and developed to give individuals with mental retardation the opportunity to train and compete in sports activities. No person shall, on the grounds of sex, race, religion, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of Special Olympics.

III. Eligibility for participation in Unified Sports(TM) :

a. General Statement of Eligibility. Every person with intellectual disabilities who is at least five years of age is eligible to participate in Unified Sports(TM).

b. Age Requirements. The minimum age requirement for participation in Unified Sports(TM) is five years of age.

c. Degree of Disability. Participation in Unified Sports(TM) training and competition is open to all persons with intellectual disabilities who meet the age requirement of this Section, regardless of the level or degree of that person's disability, and whether or not that person also has other mental or physical disabilities, so long as that person registers to participate in Unified Sports(TM) as required by these General Rules.

d. Identifying Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. A person is considered to have intellectual disabilities for purposes of determining his or her eligibility to participate in Unified Sports(TM) if that person satisfies any one of the following requirements:

1) The person has been identified by an agency or professional as having intellectual disabilities as determined by their localities; or

2) The person has a cognitive delay, as determined by standardized measures such as intelligent quotient or "IQ" testing or other measures which are generally accepted within the professional community in that Accredited Program's nation as being a reliable measurement of the existence of a cognitive delay; or

3) The person has a closely related developmental disability. A "closely related developmental disability" means having functional limitations in both general learning (such as IQ) and in adaptive skills (such as in recreation, work, independent living, self-direction, or self-care). However, persons whose functional limitations are based solely on a physical, behavioral, or emotional disability, or a specific learning or sensory disability, are not eligible to participate as Special Olympics athletes, but may be eligible to volunteer for Unified Sports(TM).