Impact Explores Inclusive Sports
The summer 2026 issue of Impact highlights the far-reaching benefits that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD) and community members gain from participating in sports. It also charts the development of inclusive sports from its early days as physical therapy for injured military personnel to the Special Olympics in the 1960s, and to more recent developments in Unified Sports and Mixed Ability teams.
The University of Minnesota is the official host of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, to be held June 20-26. More than 3,000 athletes representing all 50 states will compete in sports across the Twin Cities metro area.
This gathering of Special Olympics athletes, coaches, and supporters highlights one of the main ideas explored in Impact—that sports can spark friendships and advance community inclusion.
In this issue of Impact, we travel to the soccer fields of Brazil, a rugby pitch in the United Kingdom, a badminton court in Bhutan, and an ice arena in North America. We hear personal stories from athletes who share how participation in sports shapes their lives and brings opportunities.
Renáta Tichá, the associate director of Research at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI), has an article exploring how disability researchers and advocates are documenting and evaluating inclusive sports programs. Experts are investigating how these sports programs make a difference in athletes' lives.
Brian Abery, the director of ICI’s Global Disability Rights and Inclusion Program, writes about the challenges people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD) have staying healthy and feeling included in society. His article examines whether inclusive sport and inclusive education are catalysts for cultural change.
ICI researchers Matt Roberts, James Houseworth , and Emily Unholz-Bowden write about how students and schools benefit from the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® (SOUCS) program.
Athletes share how sports participation shapes their lives and brings opportunities. Beyond providing access to play, sports can shift perceptions and spark personal and cultural change. You can enjoy these stories and more in the inclusive sports issue of Impact.