Special Olympics MD Lower Shore (SOMDLS) serves individuals with intellectual disabilities ages eight and older who often do not have access to the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers. This disparity exists across all aspects of a person's life, including healthcare, education, employment, leadership, and social activities. Special Olympics Maryland was created to provide sports training and competition opportunities for these individuals, giving them opportunities to develop physical fitness, build relationships, and demonstrate their abilities with their peers, families, and communities. The SOMDLS community program currently offers alpine skiing, basketball, softball, swimming, kayaking, soccer, bowling and young athletes program. Bocce and competitive fitness are also offered through our agency program partnership. The SOMDLS program also offers tennis, bocce, and strength and conditioning through Interscholastic Unified Sports (IUS). IUS provides opportunities for both students with and without disabilities to participate in sports meaningfully by engaging other students in the school community. Interscholastic Unified Sports (IUS) helps promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect. Over 340 athletes and Unified teammates are currently participating in the SOMDLS program. Within the past year, kayaking and agency competitive fitness were added to the Lower Shore program. We've engaged athletes and families from across the shore to be a part of these new and continued opportunities. The program is planning to add pickleball and tennis as new opportunities in 2025!