Social Skills Resources Development Consultancy

Special Olympics • Washington, DC

1d

About The Position

Special Olympics is seeking a consultant to support the development of a new Social Skills module as part of the Leadership & Skills curriculum within Athlete Leadership. The target audience for this module is athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have higher support needs in communication. This may include athletes who are less verbal, non-speaking, emerging communicators, or athletes who do not read or write. The module should be designed to support meaningful participation through accessible communication, visual supports, practical activities, modeling, repetition, and opportunities to practice social skills in real-life situations. The purpose of this consultancy is to create a practical, accessible, and inclusive training module that helps athlete leaders build and practice foundational social skills in ways that are relevant to their daily lives, Special Olympics participation, leadership development, and community engagement. This project will require working in collaboration with the Athlete Leadership team, athlete leaders, Special Olympics International staff, mentors, Regional and Program staff, and other relevant stakeholders. The consultant must ensure that the materials are easy to understand, inclusive, practical, and appropriate for athletes with diverse communication styles and support needs.

Requirements

• Background in education, special education, disability studies, communication, speech-language development, inclusive education, psychology, occupational therapy, curriculum development, or related field.
• Evidence of experience developing educational materials, training, curriculum, or learning resources.
• Experience supporting individuals with higher communication support needs, including people who are less verbal, non-speaking, or who use alternative forms of communication.
• Experience developing resources for an international audience.
• Ability to collaborate with the Athlete Leadership team, athlete leaders, Special Olympics International staff, mentors, Regional and Program staff, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure materials are easy to understand, inclusive, practical, and appropriate for athletes with diverse communication styles and support needs.
• Provide a high-level proposal including relevant experience and qualifications, examples of similar projects, training, or resources developed, project timeline, high-level Project Plan, and costing proposal within the available budget.
• Maintain the confidentiality of SOI information and not use athlete names, images, stories, personal information, or other identifiable information unless specifically authorized.
• Comply with applicable SOI policies and expectations relating to safeguarding, data privacy, accessibility, nondiscrimination, and respectful inclusion of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Disclose any proposed use of subcontractors, external contributors, or AI-assisted tools in the proposal and obtain approval from SOI in advance.

Responsibilities

• Develop a complete training package that can be used by Special Olympics Programs to deliver a Social Skills module for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have higher support needs in communication.
• Develop a Course Overview including purpose, target audience, learning objectives, recommended format, estimated length, accessibility considerations, and suggested implementation approach.
• Develop a Facilitator Guide including session instructions, facilitation notes, suggested language, accessibility tips, activity guidance, communication support strategies, reflection prompts, and options for adaptation.
• Develop a Mentor Support Guide including practical guidance on how to support communication, encourage participation, avoid speaking for the athlete, and help athletes practice the skills outside the session.
• Develop a Visual Guide to support delivery of the module.
• Develop Participant Worksheets / Activity Materials that are accessible for athletes with intellectual disabilities, potentially including visual worksheets, matching activities, choice boards, role-play cards, communication cards, scenario cards, emotion cards, practice sheets, or other non-writing-based activities.
• Develop Practice Activities and Materials to help athletes practice the concepts in real-life situations.
• Develop Implementation Guidance with recommendations for how Programs can implement the Social Skills module in a meaningful, accessible, and consistent way across different contexts.
• Review existing Athlete Leadership and Leadership & Skills curriculum materials.
• Develop the full module structure with lessons, learning objectives, activities, and practice opportunities.
• Provide recommendations for best implementation, including group size, session length, mentor role, communication supports, and adaptation options.
• Participate in review meetings with Special Olympics staff, athlete leaders, and relevant stakeholders.
• Revise the final package incorporating feedback from Special Olympics staff, athlete leaders, and relevant stakeholders.
• Submit final editable files for all materials.

What This Job Offers

• Education Level: No Education Listed