United States-based company Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI) is among the latest partners onboard for the 2026 Special Olympics Caribbean Beach Games in Jamaica.

The beach games, to be hosted at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James, from November 18-22, is set to showcase approximately 20 Special Olympics regional programmes participating in swimming, football, volleyball, basketball, and bocce.

MDI, a non-profit social enterprise headquartered in Minnesota, employs 500 people, about half of whom are people with disabilities.

The company, which produces corrugated plastic products and provides packaging services to an international customer base, has history with the Special Olympics, having partnered for the USA Games, a hugely popular, multi-sport event featuring athletes with intellectual disabilities.

In a statement, MDI said its collaboration with the Special Olympics unites two organisations with deep-rooted commitments to inclusion, empowerment, and innovation in supporting people with intellectual disabilities.

“MDI is committed to bringing our university-backed soft skills and experiential learning platform to the world and we have chosen to partner with Special Olympics to activate this global strategy of creating one million learning experiences by 2030,” said MDI President and Chief Executive Officer Eric Black.

“I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of this inaugural event [in Jamaica, with] families and supporters coming together to cheer on these talented athletes.

“There is no more prominent place to host the event than Montego Bay, Jamaica. MDI is looking forward to building lasting community and governmental relationships in Jamaica, jointly finding a way for us to support the ongoing advancement of individuals with a disability for many years to come,” he said.

The non-profit enterprise said ties with Special Olympics Caribbean “uniquely positions MDI to reach 20 global programmes and over 200 athletes simultaneously”.

MDI said its Unified Work programme is dedicated to removing employment barriers for people with intellectual disabilities and empowering them to succeed. It said that through immersive tools such as virtual reality (VR) training, leadership development, and workforce readiness programmes, Unified Work is building pathways to meaningful employment.

MDI debuted the Unified Work programme at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games as a gold sponsor, garnering over 7,000 visitors to its booths.

The US-based organisation said its non-profit mission has been dedicated to providing learning experiences for over 60 years.

“Together, we will create meaningful, tech-powered career readiness pathways for athletes worldwide, showcasing the latest innovations from MDI’s Unified Work programme,” said the company’s statement.

It added: “Lorna Bell, the executive director of the Special Olympics Caribbean, is an international coalition builder and the visionary behind this partnership. These Games connect MDI to Special Olympics programmes and allow athletes and attendees to experience Unified Work first-hand. Following the Caribbean Games, MDI desires to establish programme-specific collaborations in each country.”