Game On! Unified Sports Build Fun and Friendship

There’s no mistaking game day at Billingsley Elementary, in White Plains, Md. Every Saturday for seven weeks  in February and March, the gym fills with the sound of a dribbling basketball, the chirp of sneakers on the court, and the excited cheers of fans. But the best sound of all is the laughter of the players, like Raevyn Mapson. A member of the Mattawoman Middle School Unified Sports team, Mapson is one of six Charles County elementary and middle school teams that play each week.

“I love it,” says Mapson, who has an intellectual disability and epilepsy. “Shooting baskets with my team makes me happy.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that requires a free, appro­priate education for millions of students with disabilities. Unified sports help achieve the goals of IDEA by fostering inclusion and removing barriers to school activities.

The program brings students with and without disabilities together to play basketball, soccer, track and field, and other sports. The rules and scoring are the same, but it’s not about who wins. It’s about building community and understanding.

The students with disabilities learn about sports, teamwork, and belonging. The other students, called partners, learn about leadership and empathy. Everyone learns about friendship.

“If you want to put a smile on your face, come to a unified sports game,” says Steven Baldo, a Charles County ESOL teacher who volunteers at the games.