What does it mean to be Unified?

UNIFIED ROBOTICS

\What is Unified Sports?

(From SOCT) Special Olympics Unified Sports is an inclusive sports program that combines individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners compete alongside one another, each in a meaningful and integral role on the Unified Sports team. Unified Sports is dedicated to promoting social inclusion by allowing individuals with and without intellectual disabilities opportunities to share sports training and competition experiences together. It was inspired by a simple principle: Training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship, understanding, and inclusion.

Unified Robotics:

Based on the Special Olympics Unified Sports model, we are striving to provide a new and different Unified opportunity to students. Students with and without intellectual disabilities will work together on the Unified Robotics team, using the Lego Spike Robot kits to build, program, and maintain a robot to complete up to 12 prescribed challenges. Unified Robotics introduces STEM concepts to all students and allows teamwork, creativity, and diversity to shine as problem solvers. Students will learn technical and coding skills that can carry them on to future robotics challenges, college, technical jobs, and many other areas of life.

Common Terminology to be used:

Athlete - student with intellectual/physical disability participating in program

Partner - student without disabilities participating in program

Mentor/Coach - adult working assist, teach, and learn from students teams in the program

Intellectual Disability: certain limitations in cognitive functioning and other skills, including communication and self-care (https://www.specialolympics.org/about/intellectual-disabilities)

Meaningful Involvement: all teammates are provided an environment that ensures each is given multiple opportunities throughout the “season” to develop their unique skills and qualities to contribute to the team’s success

Robotics Team Line-up: Each Robotics Team will consist of 2-4 students working with one robot. The goal is for each team to consist of a 1:1 ratio of athletes to partners, but a minimum of 1 athlete with 3 partners is allowable.

Meaningful Involvement:  As with all Special Olympics sport activities, Unified Robotics highlights the principal of Meaningful Involvement amongst each team. Students should be provided with an environment that ensures each teammate is given multiple opportunities throughout the “season” to develop their unique skills and qualities. All participants should:

·       Have the ability and opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the performance of the team/activity

·       Participate according to the rules of competition

·       Compete without causing undue risk of injury to themselves or others

Application to Unified Robotics: There are many tasks and roles within the robotics season and team. All teammates should be meaningfully involved but that does not mean they must be involved with EVERY step of the process. Roles such as coding, building, planning, organizing, interviewing, and designing can be divided by individual athlete and partner skill sets.

Competition Requirements and Materials: Maine Unified Robotics will compete using the FIRST® LEGO® League robotics kits and challenge course

Robots – Lego SPIKE Prime Set - SPIKE™ Prime – STEAM Set - Grades 6 - 8 | LEGO® Education

Challenge Kit – SUPERPOWERED: FLL Challenge Set 2022 - SUPERPOWERED: FLL Challenge Set 2022 - AndyMark, Inc

Challenge Guide - fll-challenge-superpowered-overview.pdf

Unified Robotics Maine – Season Schedule:

1.         Informational and Interest meeting – Late September/Early October

2.         Intent to Participate – Late September/Early October

a.         Funding application open to support supplies, coaches, and travel

b.         https://forms.gle/FshzoeSVXHrcTm6f8

3.         Robotics Team Build period – January– March

4.         Coaches Meeting for Competition Prep - January

5.         State Competition – 3rd Sunday in March at Lewiston Colisee

a.         2024 – March 16th from 12-4pm

Competition Day:

Sunday, March 16th

Teams arrive by 11:00am and set up their pits

Judges will come around and conduct interviews (see judging page)

Team members will have time to look around, meet other teams and collect give-a-ways

Queuers will inform teams when they will be competing

Awards will be given out at the end of competitions

Team should be ready to leave by approx 4pm