title: Changing attitudes toward disabilities through unified sports.
abstract: A cognitive/affective/behavioral intervention was implemented to change attitudes of college students towards individuals with disabilities. College swim team members were randomly assigned to intervention (N  =  16), and no-intervention control groups (N  =  17), with intervention group students and 8 Special Olympics swimmers working together to pursue swimming-related goals in 4 sessions over a 6-week period. Results indicated that on a revision of the Symons, Fish, McGuigan, Fox, and Akl (2012) attitudes inventory, the intervention group participants displayed significant increases in positive attitudes from pre- to posttest, whereas the control group participants did not. Written participant comments corroborated this improvement. A key element in the improved attitudes was the increased comfort level experienced by the college swimmers in their interactions with the Special Olympics swimmers.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Laraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masters Glidden
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013240:Stereotyping; D013550:Swimming / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Special Olympics, intellectual and developmental disabilities; Unified Sports; attitudes towards disabilities; inclusion