Special Olympics GB has partnered with Youth Sports Trust to launch football and basketball courses in 200 schools which integrate young people with intellectual disabilities.

Play Unified is aimed at individuals aged between 14 and 25, and is a campaign inspired by one principle: “training together and playing together is a quick path to understanding, acceptance and friendship”.

The campaign – funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and administered by the DCMS and Sport England – will run for two years.

Special Olympics GB chief executive Karen Wallin said the campaign was “aimed at breaking down the barriers and misconceptions towards people with intellectual disabilities”.

“Through this campaign we hope to inspire attitudes that lead to activity with our Special Olympics athletes rather than an approach of doing things for our athletes,” she added. “People with intellectual disabilities say they want to be included as equals in society.”

The campaign will attempt to mobilise young people to make changes in their schools and communities to create an environment of respect and equality for intellectually disabled people, creating a “Unified Generation”. More than 18,000 young people in Britain are expected to be involved.

In addition, a series of Special Olympics GB Play Unified Regional Youth Summits will be delivered by Youth Sports Trust over the coming months in Manchester, London, Gateshead, Birmingham, Bath, Leicester, Glasgow and an as yet unidentified town in Wales.

“Through the nationwide Youth Summits, we are providing young people with and without disabilities, the opportunity to develop those vital leadership skills that they need for life,” said Youth Sports Trust chief executive Ali Oliver.