Benefit-Cost Evaluation of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools Program

Image

Photo supplied by Special Olympics

Since its inception, Special Olympics has promoted the inclusion of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) into their communities and society. A key objective has been to foster a school environment in which all students are authentically included and feel like they belong. 

The flagship program, Unified Champion Schools (UCS), has been implemented in thousands of school sites across the United States with a goal to improve the educational and social inclusion of students with IDD in the schools they attend.

A strong case has been made for educational inclusion based on a moral imperative for authentically including individuals with disabilities in all aspects of society, including education. However, the economic argument for educational inclusion—suggesting the benefits of investing in inclusionary practices outweigh its costs—was untested. 

This evaluation addresses this argument by offering the first set of national benefit-cost estimates of the UCS program. It provides detailed evidence that in addition to inclusion being the right thing to do morally, investment in inclusion also makes good economic sense. 

Our findings show that every $1.00 invested in the UCS program provides youth, their families, schools, and taxpayers with $2.75 in benefits. In other words, there is a 175% return on investment in the program.