It’s so important to be inclusive of people with disabilities, especially in schools.
Zeeland East High School in Zeeland, Michigan has been participating in the Special Olympics’ Unified Sports program for the past five years. According to Zeeland West High School teacher Nate Van de Gutche, the goal of that program is to “promote the importance of acceptance and inclusion across our campus and beyond.”
High school junior Jules Hoogland is one student who has benefitted from the program. Jules is completely blind, but that doesn’t keep her from playing hoops with her team! During a recent game, a crowd of 2,500 spectators held their breath and kept completely silent so that Jules could use her sense of hearing to sink a foul shot. A teacher used a long pole to tap the metal basket, and Jules focused, took aim, and fired off a perfect free throw. The whole crowd could hear the “swish,” and then they erupted into cheers!
It was an unforgettable moment, and luckily, they got it all on video! Watch Jules’ awesome shot in the video below, and don’t forget to share.
And you thought March Madness was exciting. Zeeland Public Schools Unified Basketball took over the court this morning, and the crowd went WILD! #ZpsLearningForLife pic.twitter.com/jrnFeBy7bP
– Zeeland Public Schools (@zeelandschools) March 22, 2022
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