United is expanding the industry's only Special Olympics Service Ambassador (SOSA) program to the airline's hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Newark.
The goal is to welcome 10 more people into the program and reach a total of 28 SOSA employees across all seven of its U.S. hubs, furthering United’s effort to create employment opportunities for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Former San Francisco 49er and NFL all-time receiving touchdowns leader Jerry Rice was on hand at United's San Francisco hub July 18 to help recruit, undergo a "boot camp" by some of United's existing SOSAs, and get a firsthand look at their responsibilities.
"I've been fortunate to be part of lots of winning teams and world-class organizations, and it's a real honor to be part of a program like this that proves greatness comes from giving everyone a shot," Rice said. "What I saw today being trained by these SOSAs was dedication, skill, and heart, and that's what makes a team unstoppable."
United's SOSA program gives Special Olympics athletes the opportunity to earn part-time employment with full employee benefits. United SOSAs welcome customers in the airport lobby and help them find check-in kiosks, bag check locations, and security lines. Post-security responsibilities include navigating the terminal and using digital customer service tools.
"Our Special Olympics service ambassadors deliver a daily dose of inspiration and an extra set of helping hands to our employees while also providing friendly, timely service to our customers," said United COO Toby Enqvist, who also serves on Special Olympics’ Board of Directors.
"I'm so proud of our SOSA team and look forward to growing at three more of our hubs – they not only enhance the customer experience in a uniquely United way, but also help to foster inclusive, dynamic, and engaging workplaces for all," Enqvist said.
Zehra Sayin, chief Communications, Development and Marketing Officer at Special Olympics, said the continued expansion of United's Special Olympics Service Ambassador program is a “powerful example of what true inclusion looks like in action.”
"By creating meaningful, visible roles for our athletes, United is not only enhancing the travel experience for its customers but also helping to shift perceptions about the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities,” Sayin said.
United first launched the SOSA program in Chicago during National Disability Employment Awareness Month in 2019 and quickly expanded it to its hubs in Houston, Denver, and Washington, D.C.
Since its inception, the SOSA has given Special Olympics athletes the opportunity to gain firsthand experience working as part-time employees for United.
"As an athlete, I lean on skills like teamwork and communication to excel in my sport and being able to share those experiences and skills with United customers is really fulfilling," said Lauren Miller, a current United SOSA in Chicago. "It's exciting to know that more people are going to be able to experience this great program for themselves and get the chance to impact passengers on a daily basis."
United has a longstanding partnership with Special Olympics that includes a wide range of sponsorship and event activations including plane pull competitions, localized volunteering, support of the Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C. and the Global Athlete Congress at the Special Olympics World Games.
As sponsors of the 2025 Capitol Hill Day, United supported Special Olympics delegates championing inclusion and critical funding. Special Olympics athletes led more than 330 face-to-face meetings with members of Congress in both the House and Senate, inviting their elected officials to partner with them to support inclusive education and health initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities. The event brought together more than 275 participants from 50 programs across the country.
United customers can also support the Special Olympics through United's Miles on a Mission program. To learn more, visit united.com/donate.
Accessibility Initiatives at United
United Airlines' implementation of the SOSA program is just one of the many ways the airline has dedicated itself to fostering welcoming and inspiring environments for everyone, both travelers and employees alike.
For over eight years, United has been named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and has worked to improve accessibility through measures including:
- The industry's first digital sizing tool for wheelchairs and reimbursing the difference in fares if a customer needs to pay more for a flight that can accommodate their wheelchair.
- The first U.S. airline to add Braille to aircraft interiors to help millions of travelers with visual disabilities more easily navigate the cabin independently.
- Launching a new collaboration last year with United Spinal Association where the organization will help support and advise the airline in its efforts to improve accessibility throughout the entire travel experience.
- The United mobile app, which makes it easier for people with visual disabilities to use by offering increased color contrast, more space between graphics and an enhanced display and announcement of information to better integrate with the screen reader technologies like VoiceOver and TalkBack.
- United's inflight seatback entertainment screens that offer a wide range of accessible features like closed captioning, text-to-speech controls, magnification, explore-by-touch capabilities, audio-described movies, and adjustable and high-contrast text and color correction.
- United offers day-of travel support for the visually and hearing impaired with “Agent on Demand” where a customer can use audio, video and chat to get assistance by a United customer service representative.
