TITLE:
The Effect of the Special Olympics’ Unified Program upon the Attitudes towards Inclusion of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Greece
AUTHORS:
Fevronia Karkaletsi, Georgios Theotokatos, Nikolaos Chrysagis, Zoe Tsifopanopoulou, Tobias Staebler, Vassiliki Papadopoulou, Michelle Yin, Meaghan Hussey, Alexandra Vougiouka, Emmanouil Skordilis
KEYWORDS:
Unified Sports, Attitudes, Intellectual Disability, Inclusion, Special Olympics
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Physical Education,
Vol.11 No.4,
November
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: The study examined the effect of the Unified Sports program (UNS) (Play Unified: Learn Unified) upon the attitudes towards the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disability (ID), from the perspective of their non ID counterparts. A questionnaire was used for that purpose, with 12 items presented on a 5 point Likert type scale, examining the behavioral (7 items) and emotional (5 items) domains of the attitudes construct. Further, 10 brief semi-structured interviews were held, with 2 principles, 7 faculty members and 1 student, to provide more in depth data and validate the results. A total of 219 students from general schools in the wider area of Athens, aging 12 to 18 years old, provided their responses before and after the UNS program (pre and post tested). The statistical analyses revealed that the majority had no previous experience with ID sports. Through the UNS program, however, they were more sensitized, willing to exchange messages and provide interpersonal support to their ID counterparts. These findings were further supported by the semi-structured interviews. The results are discussed in accordance with the attitudes theory, previous studies conducted in Greece and the respective limitations. Overall, the UNS programs appear as a promising vehicle to promote the inclusion of individuals with ID through sports in the communities of their same age peers without disabilities.