Promoting inclusivity in sports

with Special Olympics Canada

What we did

  • Print design
  • Illustration
  • Digital media
  • Print design
  • Illustration
  • Digital media

What they needed

For people with disabilities, the benefits of Special Olympics Canada (SOC) stretch well beyond sports. It offers a social network, a family, and a source of emotional stability for more than 41,000 athletes across Canada. So when SOC was looking for a design partner, they were looking for more than just design. They wanted a team whose values aligned with their own.

An internal spread for the Seven-A-Side Soccer rulebook. The spread features Section A - Official Events and Section B - Rules of competition
The cover for the Seven-A-Side Soccer summer sport rulebook. The cover features a soccer turf with a green overlay and features a simple red outline illustration of a soccer ball.
A simple red outline illustration of two bowling pins and a bowling ball.
A simple red outline illustration of a curling stone.
A simple red outline illustration of swimming goggles.
A simple red outline illustration of a whistle.
A simple red outline illustration of a figure skating skate.
In interior spread of the Winter Sport rulebook for Alpine Skiing. The rulebook outlines the number of gates per slope by difficulty, the rules for downhill, and where the gates should be positioned.
The winter sport rulebook for Alpine Skiing. The cover is mainly blue with an illustration of a pair of alpine skiis in red.
A simple red outline illustration of a soccer ball.

How we help

At Design de Plume, we look at all projects through our four lenses of culture, gender, accessibility, and learning. For SOC, we paid special attention to designing for equity, diversity, and inclusion. This meant painting a more diverse picture of what success looks like across sports, from the athletes to those in authority. The SOC were so impressed with our work that they tapped us in as one of their permanent lead design agencies.

Leading the way

Our work here has spread beyond Canada, too. Internationally, other Special Olympics organizations asked the Canadian division if they could adapt the materials for their own teams. Some of our SOC projects are also used as an EDI case study to showcase how diverse characters can make a world of difference in representation.

The front of an info sheet covering the Special Olympics Canada hiring process from an employers perspective. The sheet is titled "Special Olympics Canada - Althele Employment Process" and explains that this sheet will aid organizations in recruiting, training, hiring, and supporting Special Olympics athletes in the workplace. The sheet also goes into terms and definitions that the Special Olympics will use in the process.
The back of an info sheet covering the Special Olympics Canada hiring process from an employer perspective. The info sheet explains each step for hiring someone who is a Special Olympics Athlete.

Encouraging allies

SOC wants to encourage everyone to be an ally in equity, diversity, and inclusion. Internally, they worked with Vital Shift Consulting to create training for their own coaches, athletes, and volunteers. And we were happy to collaborate on the design. Drawing inspiration from people with down syndrome, our character illustrations use softer facial features and body shapes. We also showcased a spectrum of gender expressions and pride symbols.

An info sheet for the Special Olympics Canada Diversity and Inclusion series titled "2SLGBTQI+ Inclusion in Sport: How to be an Ally" The points on the sheet include "Respect people's right to self-identify" and "use inclusive language that works for everyone"
An booklet cover for the Special Olympics Canada Diversity and Inclusion series titled "2SLGBTQI+ Inclusion in Sport: Key Terms to Understand" The cover features two male soccer player illustrations giving each other a side hug and smiling.
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, featuring a person in ice skates dancing and holding a trans pride flag. There is text on the image in a yellow circle that reads "self-identification is the key".
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, featuring a person in a leotard and shorts. The leotard has the symbol for gender inclusivity on it, which is a symbol that uses one central circle to display the mens, womens, and transgender symbols in one. There is text on the image that reads "Act in allyship".
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, featuring an indigenous person dressed in golfing clothes and holding a golf club. They are wearing a brimmed hat with a rainbow front panel and feathers on it. There is text on the image in a green circle that reads "2SLGBTQI+".
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, featuring two male soccer players embracing in a side hug and smiling widely. The text on the image reads "Be open and learn".
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, feauring a person using a cane and wearing a red t-shirt with a rainbow heart on it, holding up a clipboard and smiling widely. There is text in a dark teal circle that reads "Inclusion-first philosophy".
A social media post for the Special Olympics Canada's 2SLGBTQ efforts, featuring someone in snow shoes with sunglasses and a teal beard matching their hair, and a caregiver walking along with them. There is text on the image in a brown circle that reads "protect the privacy of the individual"

“I am constantly amazed at how Design de Plume is able to get all this information into something that looks so good!! I am really excited to being able to start sharing this as I know it is going to be valued and continue to move the needle for Diversity and Inclusion within Special Olympics. The whole team at Design de Plume is fantastic to work with and I will continue to recommend you to my colleagues.”

– Tom Davies, Director, Athlete and Coach Development, Special Olympics Canada

Activities and Safety Guides

To encourage children to try physical activities, we created a series of Try-It-Day cards and posters. With a focus on child-like drawings and primary colours, this resource helps educate caregivers on how children can safely try these activities themselves at home.

A poster for the Special Olympics Canada's Try it Day, featuring leapfrog. The course has two children on it featured on lily pads, one crouched down like a frog, and the other child having just jumped over the first child and made it to the next lily pad.
A poster for the Special Olympics Canada's Try it Day, featuring an obstacle course. The course has a child completing it, and consists of a short balance beam to get across, a box to jump onto, and three hula hoops on the ground to jump through.
A poster for the Special Olympics Canada's Try it Day, featuring basketball skills. The poster features two children, one bounding a basketball through an obstacle course featuring pylons, another child holding a hula hoop to shoot the ball through, and a basketball net at the end of the course.
An illustration of a range of people, each playing a different sport. The first two people are playing basketball on opposing teams, the middle person is skiing, and the last two people are children kicking a ball around.
An i-Pad mockup of a concussion info card. The card reads "Concussion Guide for Special Olympics Athletes" and details what a concussion is, how you can help prevent one, and how to know if you have a concussion. The top of the card includes a range of people from adults to children playing sports, and the bottom of the card features a hockey puck, a pool cue, a golf club, a helmet, and a basketball.
A Special Olympics info card about the signs of a concussion. The title reads "Signs of an Emergency" and proceeds to list several symptoms such as seeing double, loss of consciousness, and vomiting. In the centre of the graphic there are three illustrations of people. One is playing hockey, one is dressed to go swimming, and the final person is about to swing a golf club. The info card also featured links to resources about concussions.

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