My favorite quote is ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. To me, that quote perfectly shows what Unified programming with Special Olympics has done.

In class we have been completing lessons on decision making, compromising, organizing, and communication. These traits that will help with future independence also create good leadership. I have also seen growth in the quality of participation in the regular education students. I have been amazed at the compassion and respect they display throughout the school day and during club. Part of the vision of Partners Club is that no student will feel left out - whether in the hall, lunchroom, or class. Daily, I notice that vision being played out by numerous students.

Unified Sports has created an inclusive environment throughout our school. It has created awareness and understanding of how we all put our pants on from the bottom up and everyone sees and does things differently. ID students now are part of regular sports programs as managers. They have more confidence to get involved. ID students eat lunch with other students outside their usual classmate. General Education student sometimes even join severe ID students for lunch and if they have a few period instead of going home.