Promoting social inclusion through Special Olympics Unified Sports (SOUS) in Kenya

In December 2024, Commonwealth Alumnus Stephen Ojwang delivered a training workshop to promote Special Olympics Unified Sports (SOUS) for students with disabilities in Kenya.

Delivered on 3 December, the workshop marked World Disability Day, which promotes the rights and well-being pf persons with disabilities globally.

Stephen Ojwang is a Sports Research Officer at Kenya Academy of Sports. He is also the Founder of Adaptive Sports Kenya, an organisation providing school-based sports programmes for children with disabilities.

His activity promoted the 2024/25 ACEF theme, Disability inclusion in institutions.

Integrating inclusive sport in primary schools

In Kenya, it is estimated that only one in six disabled children attend school and even fewer complete primary education. Children with disabilities face barriers to accessing education including lack of inadequate facilities and infrastructure, discrimination and stigma, a lack of financial resources, and untrained teachers.

The Kenyan government has made efforts to adopt inclusive education policies to support holistic development of all children, including those with disabilities. One such measure is establishing special units alongside regular primary schools to ensure universal access to education for children with and without disabilities.

Despite such efforts, many schools still struggle to integrate students with intellectual disabilities into physical education (PE) programmes. Traditional sports activities often fail to accommodate the diverse needs and abilities of all students, resulting in the marginalisation of those with disabilities. This exclusion limits their opportunities for physical development and social interaction while reinforcing stereotypes and barriers to inclusion.

Inclusive sports programmes, such as Special Olympics Unified Sports (SOUS), can bridge this gap by fostering understanding, cooperation and mutual respect among students of different abilities. However, many educators and school administrators lack the necessary knowledge and resources to implement such programs effectively.

To address this challenge, Stephen collaborated with Special Olympics Kenya, to deliver a training working for primary school special needs teachers. Special Olympics is a global organisation supporting athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Workshop to integrate unified sport in special schools

The one-day training workshop took place at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Bungoma County and aimed to train primary school teachers on the integration of SOUS in schools. The workshop was attended by 35 participants including teachers, administrators, and students from special schools in Nairobi County, alongside representatives from the local government and the Kenya Institute for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Sports Association (KIPIDSA).

The workshop commenced with a keynote speech by Ms Susan Masila, Regional Development Officer, Special Olympics Africa. Ms Masila spoke about different models of unified sports and the strategies for adapting current sports activities to accommodate all students. She also highlighted practical modifications needed in PE programmes, including adjusting game rules, using adaptive equipment and employing inclusive coaching methods.

Following the keynote, Mr Vincent Njunguna, Sports Manager, Special Olympics Kenya, provided guidance for school administrators to draft and adopt inclusive policies to promote unified sports. He shared best practices and successful case studies to inspire commitment and action from school leaders.

Stephen concluded the workshop by engaging participants in an interactive demonstration of unified sports activities. He demonstrated simple, low-resource inclusive sports activities that can be easily incorporated into existing PE programmes and conducted practical play sessions for students from special schools to demonstrate unified sports in action.

Developing partnerships through the workshop

Following the workshop, Stephen gathered verbal feedback from participants.

Participants expressed great enthusiasm for learning more about inclusive sports and showed a strong commitment to implement unified sports activities in their schools. Many shared that the workshop emphasised the importance of ensuring that students with disabilities are actively included in PE and school sports programmes.

“This training has truly opened our eyes to the possibilities of inclusive sports. Before today, me and my colleagues we struggled to find ways to integrate students with disabilities into our PE programs, but now we have practical solutions and a renewed commitment to making our schools more inclusive. The practical activities were helpful, as they showed us that unified sports can be implemented with minimal resources and still be effective.” 

-Workshop participant

Stephen’s workshop also facilitated a working partnership between the Kenya Institute for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Sports Association (KIPIDSA) and Special Olympics Kenya. This collaboration aims to enhance the provision of inclusive physical activities for students with intellectual disabilities in schools, while also focusing on identifying and nurturing their sporting talents to ensure long-term development and participation in competitive and recreational sports.

Through this workshop, Stephen successfully highlighted the growing recognition of unified sports as a powerful tool for promoting inclusivity in education. He believes that continued training, resource development, and institutional support will be essential to sustain and expand these efforts across schools in Kenya. He hopes that through his work, he can advocate for unified sports for children with disabilities.

Stephen Ojwang is a 2021 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Kenya. He completed his MSc in Adaptive Sport at the University of Worcester.