TJ’s Unified Sports class widens students’ perspectives.
Healy Novotny (left) and and Megan Gonzales participate in unified sports activities. Photo by Katie Boyer
Unified Sports is an alternative to regular gym classes offered at TJ, which integrates students of different abilities into one setting where they can learn from each other. “Unified Sports is an interaction between general education students and special education students. All students participate in normal gym activities, only slightly modified for the accommodation of our special needs students,” said Special Education Teacher Mollie Pitrone.
The concept of combining athletes with cognitive disabilities and those without was first introduced in the mid-1980s to provide another level of challenge for higher ability athletes and to promote equal opportunity. Now there are Special Olympics sports and Unified Sports classes to further the process of equality. “The Mission of Denver Public Schools states the objective to provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our society. Also, for general education students to be able to write meaningful and clear lesson plans which involves students with and without disabilities and create a project which reflects on the experiences they have had with the students in class as well as the class itself,” said Pitrone.
In Unified Sports, each student gets assigned a partner from the opposite education classification with whom they’ll spend an entire week getting familiar. General education students must teach their own lesson plans twice per semester, and even create a back-up plan in case students don’t all adapt well to the activity. Lesson plans may involve typical team sports, such as basketball, but still have modifications. For example, general education students may be required to stand further back from the 2-point line while special education students can score lay-ups. Other lesson plans may be more modified, such as quiet reading or puzzle building with their partner. “We learn about each student’s unique disabilities by spending time with them and asking questions. I’ve become really close to some of the kids; they really brighten up my day. There are lesson plans daily but the class is mostly about having fun,” said Unified Sports Student, Senior Lee Walker.
At the beginning of each semester, general education students are given a disability to research and then present to the class in order to educate others on what they have learned. The topics researched include epilepsy, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and much more. After presentations are done, students are then allowed to join the special education students in a different classroom to spend time together.
At least one day weekly is spent in the garden level classrooms, in a quiet, more personal setting to establish connections between students. “The point of this class is to get everyone out of their usual settings. Students get to spend one-on-one time with other students whom they probably wouldn’t talk to on a regular basis otherwise, and eventually become comfortable. This creates understanding and broadens students’ horizons,” commented Paraprofessional Jake Richmeier.
To be a part of Unified Sports, students should request the class from their counselor and must maintain a B average to keep the class on their schedule.
