Unified Basketball program pairs students with, without disabilities on same team

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — As students on North Ridgeville's Unified Basketball team ran drills in the high school gym Tuesday afternoon, the action moved quickly. All the athletes wore the same black T-shirts and celebrated every time a teammate made a bucket. When practice wrapped up, the team members huddled up and shared words of encouragement, then lined up for a group picture. To an unknowing observer, the team would have seemed like any other. The Unified basketball program is unique, however, because it pairs students with and without disabilities on the same team. "They're building friendships, they're building communication skills, interpersonal skills and leadership skills as well," said Nicole Miller, who works as a speech therapist for North Ridgeville Schools. Miller and occupational therapist Anne Hamilton started the district's Unified Basketball program with the help of a group of students. It has grown in the last couple of years, and now, Miller said the students have the experience to conduct the practices themselves. "You see them out there, they are running the practices. They come with new ideas every week," she said. "… They've had to learn different ways to communicate, and they quickly have adjusted." Unified sports fall under the umbrella of Special Olympics, Miller said. Students practice as a team during the winter months and play in five to six tournaments with other area schools that have Unified basketball programs. In the game, players with intellectual disabilities are classified as Special Olympics Athletes, and those without intellectual disabilities are classified as Unified Partners. According to the school district, there are 12 Special Olympics athletes in grades seven to 12 who participate, as well as seven dedicated student coaches who are Unified Partners on the team. Practices, at North Ridgeville at least, are similar to those of any other basketball team. Players stretch, warm up, run offensive and defensive drills, scrimmage and finish with a social activity. According to the Special Olympics organization, Unified Sports programs are offered in more than 4,500 elementary, middle and high schools in the United States. Kaylee Focht, a North Ridgeville High School junior, was one of the athletes on the court at Tuesday's practice. She had experience playing basketball before joining the Unified Team as a freshman and said she sometimes plays at home against her dad. She said she has noticed her skills improving because of the Unified program and agreed that she may start winning more games against her dad. "Of course I will," she said, with a laugh. Through the Unified Team and a similar cheerleading program, Kaylee has gotten to know peers she may not have befriended otherwise, including senior Emily Flint. Emily had never played on a basketball team before she started participating as a Unified Partner, she said. She recalled Miller reaching out to her about being part of a Unified Football team and how that experience led her to continue on with the basketball team. "I would never have seen myself talking to some of the kids, and ever since I have started, we're really close now," she said. Helping students with disabilities is not new to Emily. She said she has worked one-on-one with students in the special education class since her freshman year, and she plans to pursue a career as an intensive needs specialist. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.