Side by Side, Unified

Lindsay Jones was chosen as the Unified Partner of the Year for SOFL-Leon

Side by Side, Unified: Special Olympics at FSU

By Jennie Kroeger

Sports can serve as a conduit for people of different backgrounds to come together to reach a common goal and build a sense of community. Participation in sports, whether it’s on a community league or a school team, allows you to meet people you may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.

Such is the case at Florida State, which is home to the Special Olympics at FSU club. Founded in the fall of 2019 by FSU students Lindsay Jones and Hannah Harrison, the Special Olympics at FSU club was created to promote inclusion both at Florida State and in the community through sports training, competitions and campaigns for people with and without intellectual disabilities.

Jones, who has served as club president for the past three years, had the hope that other FSU students would find their home away from home with Special Olympics as she did.

“I joined Special Olympics in my sophomore year of college during a time when I felt lonely and out of place at FSU,” said Jones, who is a student in the special education BS/MS program. “After just one season with my Special Olympics soccer team, I knew I had found my group of people in Tallahassee. Being a part of Special Olympics has allowed me to meet some of the most genuine, loyal and loving friends I have ever had.”

Though students from FSU have been participating in Special Olympics Florida-Leon County (SOFL-Leon) sports for years, the fall of 2019 is when FSU created its first unified intramural team with both FSU students and SOFL- Leon athletes. Through this partnership between FSU Campus Recreation, the FSU College of Education and Special Olympics Leon County, “lifelong bonds and experiences keep people coming back and the energy is unmatched to anything like it,” said Brittany Mueller, FSU Campus Recreation Intramural Sports coordinator.

Jones, who was chosen as Unified Partner of the Year for SOFL-Leon this spring, doesn’t think of Special Olympics at FSU as volunteering. “Our club members are not ‘helping’ people with disabilities. We are actively working alongside Special Olympics athletes as teammates and friends to get things done. Their presence and input in all club matters are as equally important as the presence and input of FSU students in the club. not just during sports,” she continued. “Special Olympics athletes’ input and collaboration with the club is crucial in planning, organizing and running events and campaigns.”

The Special Olympics at FSU club hosts events like FSUnified Day, which aims to promote social inclusion through sports like basketball, flag football, volleyball, soccer and kickball, where individuals with and without disabilities play on Unified Sports teams as teammates and friends. They also participate in the Spread the Word Campaign to promote inclusion for all people.

This past fall, Florida State’s commitment to inclusion was highlighted by Special Olympics with the designation of Florida State University as a National Banner School—the first university in Florida to achieve this recognition.

As a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, FSU provides an inclusive school environment and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School that receives national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence that were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

“[The committee] was blown away by FSU’s application,” said Danielle Kent, manager for Unified Champion Schools, Health & Fitness with Special Olympics Florida. “FSU is going above and beyond on campus and doing really amazing events that are including the community.”

With the National Banner School recognition, it’s full steam ahead for Special Olympics at FSU and continued inclusion efforts on campus. And according to Jones, it’s just the beginning.

“Unified Sports are awesome, but they are just the start of the process of creating an inclusive society,” said Jones. “[Special Olympics] has increased my understanding of what it truly means to be an ally and a friend to people with disabilities. Despite majoring in special education, I feel like participating in Special Olympics has taught me more about the incredible abilities and unique perspectives of people with disabilities than school ever could.”

To learn more about Special Olympics at FSU, visit fla.st/ KB9RTG1P.

L-R: Maddy Walther, partnership coordinator; Melanie Dammel, graduate student leader; Lindsay Jones, president; Derica Parathundil, vice president; Katie Matzar, treasurer