The Special Olympics Global Center for Inclusion in Education has launched the Unified Champion Schools (UCS) Inclusion Academy, a global initiative designed to equip educators, coaches and school leaders with practical tools for creating more inclusive classrooms, schools and sports settings.
The Academy will use a scalable train-the-trainer model to prepare 250 regional trainers over the next four years. These trainers will then deliver high-quality inclusion training to 6,000 educators across all Special Olympics regions by 2030.
The need for such professional development is clear. UNESCO’s 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report found that 25% of teachers across 48 education systems reported a high need for training in teaching students with special needs. The Inclusion Academy addresses this gap through competency-based online micro-credentials short, focused courses that allow educators to build and demonstrate specific skills—combined with in-person learning opportunities.
Upon completing the course, participants earn a Special Olympics digital credential. Selected participants will also be invited to an immersive, in-person training programme in Abu Dhabi to prepare them to deliver inclusion training within their own regions.
The Academy builds on the Global Center’s Unified Champion Schools model, which brings students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities together through inclusive sports, shared leadership opportunities and whole-school engagement. To date, this work has engaged 1.2 million young people, trained more than 21,000 teachers and coaches, supported implementation in over 3,000 schools, and reached 220,000 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities along with their Unified partners.
Dr Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, said: “The UCS Inclusion Academy is possible because of partners who share our belief that inclusion starts with people and that educators have the power to shape a more welcoming world. Their investment is equipping educators around the globe to use the unifying power of sport to build classrooms, schools, and communities where every young person belongs.”
The initiative is supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity and the Fox Family Foundation. In September 2025, the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity pledged a further US$11 million to expand the Global Center’s work, following the original US$25 million gift from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that established the Center in 2020.
H.E. Dr Shamma Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Acting Director General of the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, said: “At the heart of the Inclusion Academy model is its focus on people educators equipped not only to teach inclusively themselves, but to prepare others to do the same. This multiplier effect is how inclusion moves from principle to practice, classroom by classroom, and out across societies. We are proud to support the Global Center and its commitment to championing inclusive education systems around the world.”
Lee Fox Beauregard, President of the Fox Family Foundation, added: “Fox Family Foundation deeply values the Special Olympics global thought leadership for inclusive education and its micro-credentialing for educators. With 1-in-10 children living with or identified as having a disability, bridging educator knowledge gaps around Universal Design for Learning is a practical way for schools to remove barriers and strengthen the larger community’s commitment to inclusion.”
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The curriculum was developed with global experts in curriculum design, learning science and inclusion in education. Athletes and youth leaders contribute through professionally produced videos that share their lived experiences and personal insights. This combination of research, expert guidance and real perspectives helps participants understand both the principles of inclusion and how they look in everyday practice.
The Global Center has also produced more than 25 research publications, including the Inclusive Mindsets & Behaviors framework developed with Harvard University. The launch of the Academy further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for research, policy and practical programming in inclusive education.
