Research On The Participation Of Students With ID Learning In Regular Classes In Special Olympics Unified Sports

The Special Olympics, organized by Special Olympics on the basis of the Olympic spirit, are international sporting trainings and competitions for people with intellectual disabilities. As the innovative content of Special Olympics, Special Olympics Unified Sports bring athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together in a team to participate in trainings and competitions, thus to promote social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities.Special Olympics have enjoyed the fastest development and most vitality in China. Unfortunately, students with intellectual disabilities learning in regular classes have few chances to take part in Special Olympics Unified Sports in China. Special Olympics organizations and people with visions see this as an urgent issue for not only students with intellectual disabilities learning in regular classes but also the development of China Special Olympics, but there is little academic attention paid to such a situation.By the means of literature research, questionnaire survey, individual interviews and8-week Special Olympics Unified Football training, this paper aims to explore the feasibility of students with intellectual disabilities to participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports and the influencing factors. The study found that teachers, parents and students’cognitive level of the Special Olympics Unified Sports is relatively low, but it can be improved in the future. School leaders, teachers and parents of students have a more positive attitude to students’joining in Special Olympics Unified Sports. To some extent, the positive attitude comes from some teachers and parents’low expectations for students with ID, and the ignorance of the value of Special Olympics Unified Sports, but the researchers also found that both parents and teachers will support students’participation when they see the event brings happiness and positive impact on students. What’s more, the8-week football training has positive effects on both the athletes and partners, making the athletes and partners’football skills improved, improving the relationship between the athletes and partners, and changing the partners’negative stereotypes of athletes.The researcher then prove the necessity of students with intellectual disabilities to participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports from such aspects as followings:the right of students with intellectual disabilities learning in-regular classes to enjoy social integration; the concept and value of Special Olympics Unified Sports; the positive effects of Special Olympics Unified Sports on participants; the need of improving the quality of mainstreaming. Moreover, the feasibility of students with intellectual disabilities to participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports is discussed from the following aspects:the experiences of Special Olympics Unified Sports; the macro environment of China’s education reform; the basic conditions for ordinary schools to hold Special Olympics Unified Sports; the results of Special Olympics Unified Football training. Finally, the strategies to promote the implementation of the Special Olympics Unified Sports are proposed on the basis of the analysis of the main challenges.