Ep 20: Inclusion over Ego: How the Special Olympics Organization Embraced Universal Design with Jen VanSkiver

You Don’t Want a Hug, Right? The Hilarity and the Hard of Raising Humans with Neurodiversity

Sports can be critically important to a child’s development and even their family’s place in the community. That’s why our kids, regardless of ability, deserve more than a church basement to hone those social connections and their skills as athletes!

In today’s episode, we’re interviewing Jen VanSkiver, Chief Officer of Strategic Growth for Special Olympics of Michigan and her daughter’s biggest advocate. You’ll learn how Jen has helped to facilitate the creation of a first-of-its-kind Unified Inclusion Center, how its stakeholders informed the building’s design, and why this project serves so much purpose for everyone, not just people with disabilities. Listen in now to hear how we’re changing the game of unified sports!

In this episode, you’ll learn…

[11:42] What led to Jen’s work at Special Olympics

[22:07] What the Unified Inclusion Center is and why it exists

[31:57] How stakeholders contributed to the design discussions

[42:55] The Last Word

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://www.youdontwantahug.com/post/ep-20-inclusion-over-ego-how-the-special-olympics-organization-embraced-universal-design-with-jen

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