YEAH, I AM SPECIAL
SPECIAL:
EXCEPTIONALLY GREAT. IMPORTANT. UNIQUE. SPECIAL IS SOMETHING TO STRIVE FOR. THE ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT. A WORD WE CAN ALL HOPE TO BE CALLED. NOT FOR THE THINGS WE CANNOT DO. BUT FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CAN.
THE REVOLUTION IS INCLUSION
Yeah, I'm Special
Special is something to strive for. It’s earned through hard work and dedication. Special Olympics latest initiative, “Yeah, I am Special,” shows exactly that. Learn more at imspecial.org. #YeahIAmSpecial
SPECIAL ISN’T WHAT WE ARE. IT’S WHAT WE DO.
Watch Special Olympics of Northern California's inspiring new campaign video to see how our athletes are redefining “special” and explore the rest of the site for tons of great content!
Classroom Activities to Celebrate Inclusion
Read below for inclusion activities and resources you can use at your school all year long.
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Learning for Justice Inclusive Books List and Reviews, with disability-focused titles like Nia Skye's Friend on Wheels, Song for a Whale by sign language interpreter Lynne Kelly, The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais, Judy Heumann's memoir Being Heumann, and Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens by Marieke Nijkamp
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Check out the 2020 SFUSD Inclusion Resources, the Inclusive Schools Network or 30th Anniversary of the ADA celebration guides for resources and ideas for your school.
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Try these disability simulations from Misunderstood Minds
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Join the “Spread the Word to End the R-Word” Initiative
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Read inclusive books that represent all students and families or start a book club using this Inclusive Book List from the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. Check out this list of inclusive picture books and inclusive middle school books available on Hoopla from the SFUSD Librarians. 16 Fiction Books With Disability Representation, Children's Books Honored For Disability Narratives
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Visit ADA30 in Color or follow the Disability Visibility Project
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Teachers - use these Special Olympics K-12 Lesson Plans or Teaching Tolerance classroom curriculum to build awareness and empathy in your classrooms.
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The Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University studies and showcases disabled people's experiences to revolutionize social views. Through public education, scholarship and cultural events, the Longmore Institute shares disability history and theory, promotes critical thinking, and builds a broader community.
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Classroom Activities: Ask students to think about how their disability gives them "superpowers". Then have them highlight their unique strengths with a ____ is my superpower writing activity. Or discuss characteristics of what makes a good friend then use the prompt: I can be a good friend by ___________.
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Read these Inclusion Stories from A Mighty Girl to inspire smart, courageous and confident girls.
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Try these Champions of Inclusion Activities from the Inclusive Schools Network
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Engage in classroom discussions using these Family Resources for Talking about Race & Social Justice in the U.S. - SFUSD staff have compiled a brief list of books, articles, videos, websites and other resources for families to explore race and social justice with children of different ages.
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BLM@SCHOOL // DISABILITY JUSTICE RESOURCES SAMPLER! - Curriculum - Lesson plans, classroom resources for all ages. A team of people from around the country work collaboratively to curate a variety of classroom resources for every age group. These resources are all free of charge and meant to be shared and used. The goal of these lessons and activities is to challenge racism and oppression and providing students with the vocabulary and tools needed to take action.
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Additional Resources from SFUSD - SFUSD 2020 Black History Resource Guide, SFUSD 2020 Latinx Heritage Resource Guide, SFUSD 2020 Filipinx History Resource Guide, Native American Heritage Month Resources, LGBTQ Family + Gender Diversity Elementary Teaching Guide, SFUSD Librarian's Hoopla Inclusive Book List and Diversity and Inclusion Books for all ages.
Log into the SFUSD employee website for more Inclusion Resources for Staff
This page was last updated on August 6, 2024