Dr. Dennis Garland, associate professor and chair of special education at Niagara University, and Dr. Caitlyn Bukaty, M.S.Ed.’11, senior research associate at Think College, co-authored an article that was published in the online journal of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities.
“Implications of a Special Olympics College Course Toward Inclusive Postsecondary Goal Setting” highlights the positive impacts of Dr. Garland’s Special Olympics: Coaching and Games Management course on his students’ attitudes toward individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, based on the findings of a three-year study.
“Results reflect that after participating in the course, the students had more positive attitudes toward individuals with IDD, and that they favor the development of programs that support postsecondary opportunities for students with IDD at Niagara University,” Dr. Garland said.
Special Olympics: Coaching and Games Management is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Niagara University’s colleges of Education and Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management. Students in the course learn about the nature of children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and train them to compete in the Special Olympics New York’s Western Regional Basketball Tournament. Niagara has hosted the tournament since 2006 in partnership with local organizations.
Think College is a national technical assistance, research, and evaluation center dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving higher education options for students with intellectual disability. The center is housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston.
