This issue, Julie Johnson, the assistant director, Intramural Sports and Reckord Armory at the University of Maryland, shares advice on Unified Sports and inclusive intramurals.
Can you describe what’s happening with Unified Sports at the University of Maryland (UMD)? What partnerships have evolved and why?
JJ: We added Unified Sports offerings for intramural sports at UMD in the fall of 2023 and the program is growing. Unified sports are a passion of mine, so I’m thrilled to say students can play Unified at UMD. We started with a one-day bocce event on a Friday afternoon and expanded to a full season of basketball in the spring of 2024. This school year we continued to expand our team sport offerings with 7-on-7 soccer and flag football. Now that we’re a year into Unified, the professional and student staff have a better handle on how best to manage this program and continue its growth.
To start the program, I first formed a partnership with Special Olympics Maryland. This is the third school at which I’ve worked on building Unified Sports, and at each institution it’s been critical to have buy-in from Special Olympics staff. Without that relationship it’s nearly impossible to bring in athletes from the community to participate in Unified Sports. They can help bring in athletes, they know the schedules for local Special Olympics team practices, and they can provide insight into what sports may and may not work for the athletes in the local area.
What have you learned about running an inclusive intramural sports program that you could share with other campus rec professionals?
JJ: The biggest thing I’ve learned is the students who are most likely to play Unified and commit to playing every week are not necessarily the students who play intramural sports the most. Because of that, marketing for Unified often looks different than the rest of our offerings. I must be more intentional about reaching out to students to sign up for Unified than I do for any other sport. I’ve seen a lot of success with reaching out to schools of education at different universities to get the word out to education majors, and particularly special education majors.
If others wanted to increase their Unified Sports offerings, where would you suggest they start?
JJ: Start with the athletes. Find out what local athletes would want to play, whether that means talking with them directly or going through your Special Olympics staff contacts. Oftentimes college students will try any sport if they get to play.
Any other advice on running an inclusive intramural sports program?
JJ: I have three pieces of advice. First, make sure your student staff know what to expect with Unified athletes. Not everyone has had experience interacting with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), so sometimes people get nervous they’re going to say the wrong thing. Interacting with folks with IDD is just like interacting with anyone else. Be a good person and it’s going to work out great. Second, it’s OK if your program doesn’t take off immediately. Good things develop over time. Success isn’t always measured by the number of participants that show up. Third, the purpose of Unified is to have fun. Go out and watch games on your campus and feel the positive energy that comes with Unified.
