Graduation Year
2026
Date of Defense
4-2-2026
Degree Name
Doctorate in Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership
Department
School of Education and Human Development
Document Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Robert Hannafin
Abstract
Unified Sports has held a significant role in inclusion, empathy, and belonging of students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in public schools for decades. The present study aims to explore the impact, if any, Special Olympics Unified Sports had on a private boarding school’s student club members and its graduated leaders. Adopting a phenomenological approach, the researcher explored the circumstances and work of these former student leaders to answer the research questions. By surveying the leadership of a private school’s Special Olympics Club and by conducting semi-structured interviews with ten of those leader alums (male and female), this study aims to investigate and understand the influence of Special Olympics, if any, on their sense of inclusivity, empathy, friendship, and collaboration between people with and without (IDD). The interview group was selected by gender and distance in years from high school. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Finally, the researcher offers theoretical and practical implications and recommendations in line with the study findings.