Futskills Academy feels completely fulfilled to participate in Unified Sports approach with Detroit Public Schools and Special Olympics.
The smiles and high fives Coach Tati is able to generate from these young adults fuels our purpose entirely. Here is more info:
Young people with disabilities do not often get a chance to play on their school sports teams. More and more U.S. states are adopting the Unified Sports approach that Special Olympics pioneered.
Unified Sports is also an integral part of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, which was founded in 2008 and funded through the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education to use Special Olympics to build inclusion and tolerance in schools. Unified Sports are now in more than 4500 elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States. Seventy percent of Unified Champion Schools (Pre-K through Grade 12) are engaging in Unified Sports!
Due to Covid Special Olympics had to take the Unified program virtual in Detroit so that students could participate during this challenging time. Thanks to Coach Tati DPSCD was able to offer weekly soccer skills clinics virtually to students with and without a disability. For two years he has made sure that all students have access to soccer through his online skills sessions. Over 400 students have participated.
Now that things are opening again Coach Tati is volunteering his time to work with Special Olympics in Detroit to improve access to the sport for athletes of all abilities. As an advisor and coach for soccer his expertise has been a valuable asset to expansion of soccer in Detroit for all athletes.