While our mission is to provide sports training and competition to individuals with intellectual disabilities, we also work off the playing field to enrich the lives of more than 26,000 athletes, their families and their communities in New Jersey.
Athlete Leadership
Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) empower athletes to explore opportunities for greater participation in our movement. Beyond sports training and competition, athletes can also serve as coaches, spokespeople, and Board and committee members.
Health
Special Olympics is the world’s largest public health organization for people with intellectual disabilities. See how we address the health needs of athletes here in New Jersey.
Families
The Special Olympics New Jersey Family program provides a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Our community of families focus on the values of acceptance, awareness and respect. We empower families to become the valued voice of our movement by providing the resources, hope and opportunities they need to become advocates.
Unified Champion Schools
Through the Play Unified School Partnership, Special Olympics New Jersey supports schools in creating options that offer participation opportunities for students of all interests and ability levels, on and off the playing field. Youth-led, inclusive clubs organize school wide initiatives such as Choose to Include Week campaigns and Disability Awareness Fairs. Combined with inclusive sports, these schools pave the way to building communities of acceptance.