At Unified Robotics,

we believe awareness

is learned through experiences.

That’s why we created a STEM-based experience that helps students teach each other what they’re capable of. We do this based on the values of respect, empathy, willingness, and community.

You can’t just read a book or be told stories and really know what someone else’s life is like. It takes sitting down, face-to-face, and engaging with another person—learning about them, the way they think, the way they perceive the world, and the way the world perceives them. These types of interactions are how change happens— one person, one experience at a time.
Unified Robotics introduces STEM concepts to people with intellectual disabilities in a way that will open doors for them in their future. Many of these students have little or no hands- on experience with STEM. Unified Robotics helps them know what they’re capable of. It’s the first building block, put there so that next time they go to do something and someone tells them, “You can’t do that,” they have the confidence (and experience) to know they can.
Unified Robotics is game-changer for students with special needs, it is a revolutionary concept: People with intellectual disabilities, from whom the least is expected, can meaningfully participate with best and the brightest scientists among their peers. They can learn real technical skills, they can build a robot, they can go to college and be gainfully employed. They have a future.
On the flip-side, Unified Robotics introduces people with intellectual disabilities to a high-achieving population of students who may not otherwise have any exposure to people with special needs. They create meaningful relationships, and their experience helps them redefine success—because success looks different for everyone.
As the STEM world grows, it will be increasingly important to find leaders who are brave enough to step outside the norm in search of wisdom or perspective that comes from a unique source—people who live and thrive with intellectual disabilities. Unified Robotics introduces people with intellectual disabilities to a high-achieving population of students who may not otherwise have any exposure to people with special needs. These students learn to communicate effectively to a broad audience who have a wide range of literacy skills in the STEM vocabulary. They gain leadership skills and learn they can extract talent where others find nothing putting them leaps and bounds ahead of the average STEM star, because of their participation in Unified Robotics.
These students feel a sense of accomplishment as they succeed in this unique environment, they create meaningful relationships, and their experience helps them redefine success—because success looks different for everyone.
In 2015, Delaney Foster brought her high school FIRST® Robotics teammates (King’s High School’s CyberKnights) to Roosevelt High School to work alongside students with special needs to build robots. Her sister, Kendall Foster, has autism, and Delaney has been a life-long advocate of inclusive education and was inspired by Special Olympics Unified Sports.
After the successful pilot season, Delaney partnered with Special Olympics Washington to bring Unified Robotics to all high schools. 2017 is the second season of Unified Robotics as a multi-school Special Olympics Unified Sport and providing a sustainable and scalable model for other regions to follow.

Our Core Values

Open to students of all levels.

For some students, this may mean putting two LEGO pieces together, while for others it means building a highly competitive robot. What is most important is that everyone is able to work at their level and be included equally.

A one-on-one team experience.

Modeled after Special Olympics Unified Sports, partners and athletes work together as a team to build a robot—not one or the other. Teams of 2-6 students ensures everyone is able to contribute meaningfully.

Meet those working behind the scenes

Leadership Team

The Unified Robotics Leadership Team consists of volunteers that shape the program goals and vision. They coordinate the season logistics and plan the championship. The team also works to grow Unified Robotics to new regions in the United States and internationally.

Board of Advisors

Helping guide the growth and direction of the program, the Board of Advisors includes industry leaders, advocates and policymakers, key supporters of the program, as well as student leads and mentors involved in the development of Unified Robotics.

Our Supporters

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