South Salem students and teacher say Unified program expanded daily inclusion and leadership

Bridal Young, a special education teacher who runs Unified programs at South, said the school's Unified activities created new daily opportunities for students with and without disabilities to interact and form relationships.

"As soon as we started to implement unified programs, I saw those interactions between our students with and without disabilities just take off," Young said, adding that students with disabilities became more visible in hallways and classrooms.

Young described how consistent interaction led to improved communication and relationships: "We're seeing multiple exchanges, conversations happening on a daily basis between a variety of peers," she said, noting athletes who made space for partners in team settings.

Tegan Scott, a baseball and basketball player at South Salem, said participation changed him personally. "I didn't realize the impact it would have on me. It made me a better person," Scott said, crediting the program with teaching patience and communication and naming Elias as a close partner.

Young highlighted specific examples of peer bonds, citing "baseball boys surrounding Abe and Elias" and saying the energy and trust between partners and athletes has been noticeable and beneficial for both groups.

"This is a program where if you lean into it, you're gonna develop leadership skills that you didn't even know that you had," Young said, framing Unified as both a school program and a way of living that encourages focusing on others.

Young and Scott both said the skills and relationships formed through Unified will outlast high school. Young concluded that those relationships "are what draws both our partners and athletes in even further and even makes this program go beyond the walls of the school into life."