Special Olympics academy in Abu Dhabi aims to train 6,000 educators in disability inclusion by 2030

A new online academy in Abu Dhabi aims to equip 6,000 educators across the world to help ensure students with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the opportunity to “participate, belong and succeed”.

The Unified Champion Schools (UCS) Inclusion Academy, based in Abu Dhabi, is operated by the Special Olympics Global Centre for Inclusion in Education.

The programme, which has been running since August, equips educators, coaches and community leaders with the knowledge, skills and practical strategies to create inclusive learning environments through sport.

The online qualification designed for teachers, coaches and school leaders, is also open to parents and others interested in inclusion. Selected participants can apply for in-person training.

The National reported last year how the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity was providing $11 million funding to support the international mission of the Abu Dhabi centre, allowing it to expand its Unified Champion Schools programme.

Salyne El Samarany, vice president of the Special Olympics Global Centre for Inclusion in Education, told The National the academy was set up to address a gap between inclusion policies and educators’ ability to put them into practice.

A 2020 Unesco report found that 25 per cent of teachers across 48 education systems reported a high need for professional development in teaching students with special needs.

“We do have very strong policies in place,” she said. “It’s how do we not only provide them access to the classroom, but also give them the opportunity to be heard, to have the tools they need and to have meaningful friendships.”

The online course takes about seven to nine hours, Ms El Samarany said. Its six language versions are Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Russian. Educators from different regions and countries are already taking the modules, she said, but gave no enrolment figure.

An international engagement for educators is planned around the Special Olympics World Games in Santiago, Chile, in October 2027.

“My biggest takeaway from the academy is trying to shift from inclusion as access towards inclusion as belonging,” Ms El Samarany said. “When we talk about belonging, we talk about the ability to be befriended, to feel that they have a role to play, that they are valued in the ecosystem of the school.”

Show caption: Salyne El Samarany, vice president of the Special Olympics G…

She said the aim was to help educators create those connections in practical ways. Sport, she said, can help students with and without disabilities build relationships and develop skills that carry into employment. “Sport is not just an extra-curricular activity. Sport is actually a very powerful tool for inclusion,” she said.

The academy’s lessons are intended to give educators practical strategies for use in classrooms and across school communities. “We’re not talking theory and evidence only,” Ms El Samarany said. “We’re talking very practical strategies on how to intervene, how to connect and how to do the extra step needed.”

The academy is intended for classroom and special education teachers, coaches and school principals. Ms El Samarany said the in-person component was designed to bring school teams together so educators could return with support from colleagues and leadership.

“The teachers are not going to only be trained, they will also be expected to do cascade training,” she said, describing how participants would share what they had learnt with others. The Special Olympics plan is to prepare 250 regional trainers to help deliver inclusion learning to 6,000 educators by 2030.

The Special Olympics Global Centre for Inclusion in Education was established in 2020 through a $25 million gift from President Sheikh Mohamed to build on the legacy of the Abu Dhabi 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games.