Jose is a 19-year-old from Cajicá-Cundinamarca, Colombia. He is a swimming athlete and has been training since he was 6 years old. Jose is a student at UDCA University, where he studies sports coaching. In his time working with Special Olympics, he has worked with Unified schools, and competed in the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi where he earned 3 medals for Colombia! Jose is proud to be part of the Unified Generation because he wants to amplify the voices and visibility of people with disabilities.

Ángela is a 24-year-old from Cajicá-Cundinamarca, Colombia. She is an industrial engineer, and earned her degree from the Universidad de La Sabana, and is currently working as an English teacher in a school. Ángela has been involved with Special Olympics for several years. She has volunteered in sports training schools which facilitate the integration of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities. Her family became involved with Special Olympics through Unified sporting events. As a sibling of a person with a disability she has been passionate about promoting inclusion, and is proud to be a part of the Unified Generation to further this goal.
Jose and Ángela have both been involved with Unified Sports with Special Olympics and have seen the profound impact it has had on their lives. They wanted to extend this impact to youth in Colombia. They decided to create a project based on swimming, allowing youth with and without intellectual disabilities to come together, improve their swimming skills, and build long-lasting friendships.
To give athletes an opportunity to strengthen motor skills and generate awareness of sport and self-care, Jose and Ángela organized swimming lessons in the aquatic complex of Funza Cundinamarca. They planned to educate families about the importance of stimulation, motivation and dedication from an early age.
The Jellyfish project sparked joy in the young athletes and gave them the opportunity for physical, emotional and social development through sports. Individuals with and without Intellectual Disabilities served as coaches and assistant coaches and helped transform the pool into a safe environment and happy place for many of the participants. Peers and families supported the event, and 8 athletes and 7 partners benefited from participating in the lessons!
Jose and Ángela were very satisfied with their experience because they got to watch participants find their own unique processes that helped them to be successful in the water! To run smooth lessons, they were required to problem solve and prioritize effective communication with the families, children, and coaches. The youth pair grew in their creativity while building the training sessions. They really enjoyed seeing the smiles of children in the water as they swam! They are very proud to have gotten the opportunity to help coach the lessons because it shows the strength of SO athletes – that they can compete as well as coach! Because of this experience, Jose and Ángela plan to invite youth and adults to practice and promote Unified Sports!