Dr. Jackie Jodl (Chief of Global Youth and Education of Global Youth and Education at Special Olympics) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how fundamental education has been throughout her life, how her education journey has shaped her career, and the impact that Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease had on her life growing up.

Then, we discuss the importance of education and sports in creating opportunities to climb the societal and economic ladder, how unified sports transform social inclusion in education, and why understanding unified sports’ place in the educational system is crucial to alleviating the concerns surrounding integrating unified sports.

We also discuss some contributing factors to behavioral issues and absenteeism in the classroom, how funding-based segregation can prevent children from successfully integrating into the community, and some of Dr. Jodl’s fondest memories in education.

Related Links

Special Olympics: https://www.specialolympics.org/

Special Olympics Utah: https://sout.org/

Unified sports in Utah: https://www.sout.org/programs/unified-sports