ABU DHABI, 17th September, 2026 (WAM) -- The Abu Dhabi-based Special Olympics Global Centre for Inclusion in Education has launched the Unified Champion Schools® (UCS) Inclusion Academy, a global learning initiative to equip educators, coaches and school leaders with practical tools to create more inclusive classrooms, schools and sports settings.
Its scalable, train-the-trainer model will support 250 regional trainers over the next four years, enabling them to train 6,000 educators across all Special Olympics regions.
The need for this training is significant. UNESCO’s 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report found that 25% of teachers across 48 education systems reported a high need for professional development in teaching students with special needs.
The Inclusion Academy responds to that need through competency-based, online micro-credentials, which are short, focused courses that allow educators to build and demonstrate specific skills alongside in-person learning. By investing in trainers who can pass on their expertise locally, the Academy is designed to create a multiplier effect, expanding the reach of high-quality inclusion training and building lasting capacity within education systems around the world.
Upon completing the course, participants earn a Special Olympics digital credential, and selected participants will be invited to attend an immersive, in-person training in Abu Dhabi, preparing them to deliver high-quality inclusion training within their regions.
The launch of the Academy marks an important milestone in the Center’s efforts to advance inclusion within education and reinforces Abu Dhabi's role as a hub for research, policy and programming.
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.”
Commenting on the launch 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, Fox Family Foundation President, said, “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. "
Grounded in the Unified Champion Schools model, which brings students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) together through inclusive sports, shared leadership opportunities and whole-school engagement, the Inclusion Academy demonstrates how sport can help build school communities where all students learn, lead and belong together.
The Academy was developed with global experts in curriculum design, learning science, and inclusion in education. The result is practical, evidence-based learning, with athletes and youth leaders bringing the curriculum to life through professionally produced videos that share their lived experiences, personal stories and lived insights. By combining these perspectives with research and expert guidance, the Inclusion Academy helps participants understand not only the principles of inclusion, but what they look like in practice.
This new initiative builds on the Special Olympics Global Center for Inclusion in Education’s growing international impact. To date, its UCS work has engaged 1.2 million young people, trained 21,000 teachers and coaches, supported implementation in 3,000 schools, and reached 220,000 athletes with IDD and Unified partners without IDD.
The Global Centre has also produced more than 25 research publications, including the Inclusive Mindsets & Behaviors framework developed with Harvard University.