Creating Social Impact with Technology at Special Olympics

 

You probably watched the Olympics on television before, but have you had the chance to be part of a local Special Olympics event that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities? If not, look into it; the Special Olympics helps 5.5 million athletes and takes more than 1 million volunteers to run the program in 193 countries. This takes a massive amount of data to promote successful organization and efficiency.  

How does The Special Olympics use information from millions of athletes to enhance the experience and improve involvement?  

On today’s episode of DisruptED, Host Ron Stefanski speaks with Prianka Nandy, Chief Information and Technology Officer of Special Olympics, to discuss how Nandy is helping the audience better plug into Special Olympics as a movement. 

During the pandemic, the Special Olympics saw reduced athlete numbers. Now, they are trying to grow back by understanding who their athletes are and how they can best be involved through one of many components of their research called “The Athlete Movement Project.”  

Stefanski and Nandy also discussed… 

  1. How she has used data from 16 million athletes to continue her transformation journey at the Special Olympics 
  2. The different levels of engagement available at the Special Olympics  
  3. What else the Special Olympics has to offer to participants aside from the actual athletic experience 

Nandy described how she hopes the data they are collecting will transform involvement.

“We’ve been able to find talent, we’ve been able to find the corporate sponsorships in some cases, and we’re starting to come through with a core centralized data strategy…so it’s not just about we want your money to help our organization. It’s about we want your time and your involvement and engagement. And how can we convert you, say, from a donor to a coach or from an athlete to a coach?” 

Nandy is the Chief Information and Technology Officer of Special Olympics International and has experience designing digital and data governance structures. She has served in other international positions, such as Chief Data and Analytics Officer and Data Program Manager, Technology Division, at World Food Programme. Nandy’s accolades include VPU Team Awards for the 2 Minute Feedback Survey, the Open Knowledge Repository, and the World Bank Finances Mobile App from the World Bank Group. She has a BA in Economics from Virginia Tech and a Master of Public Policy with a Social Policy concentration from George Mason University.  

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

digital learning ecosystem
Stride at 25: Redefining the Digital Learning Ecosystem for Today’s K–12 Learners
May 28, 2025

As virtual learning matures and school choice accelerates across the U.S.,the 25th anniversary of Stride Inc. offers a moment to reflect on how far the digital learning ecosystem has come and where it’s headed.. Once known as K12 Inc., the company helped pioneer online education at scale. But in a landscape shaped by evolving…

Read More
search
From Search (SEO) to Answers with Generative AI
May 27, 2025

In this episode of The Marketing AI SparkCast, Aby Varma—founder of Spark Novus, which partners with marketing leaders to adopt AI responsibly and strategically—hosts Mike Ensing, Founder and CEO of Revere AI. They explore how LLMs are revolutionizing search, shifting the customer journey, and forcing a new marketing playbook where brand discovery is increasingly…

Read More
Greener future in HVAC
Scale Smarter in HVAC: Balancing Growth with Employee Engagement
May 27, 2025

The HVAC industry is undergoing significant growth, driven by increased suburban migration and a surge in home renovations requiring system upgrades. The U.S. HVAC market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from 2025 to 2030. As businesses scale to meet this demand, balancing expansion with retaining strong…

Read More
educational choice
Educational Choice Isn’t Enough—Implementation Will Make or Break It
May 26, 2025

The U.S. education landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as more states adopt education savings accounts (ESAs), signaling a broader push toward personalized, parent-directed learning and broader educational choice. With over a dozen states now offering universal ESA programs, debates around school choice have reached a new level of urgency. Throughout 2024, enthusiasm for…

Read More