@conference{
author = "Grbović, Aleksandra and Stanimirov, Ksenija",
year = "2019",
abstract = "Social participation is a determinant of active aging, and can produce positive
physical and mental outcomes. Those outcomes satisfy the psychological needs of
individuals and help him achieve appropriate life satisfaction. The number of activities in
which a person participates reflects her social interaction and social relations.
The aim of this research aimed was determining the barriers that adults with visual
impairment face during leisure activity of sport-recreational type, while checking whether
there are differences in the self-perception of the barriers of blind and visually impaired
people. Sample consisted of 137 persons with visual impairment.
Using the Assessment of Life Habits scale (LIFE-H), domain Recreation in a sample of
92 people with visual impairment, key barriers for leisure activities were highlighted:
inadequate public transport, low level of independence, negative attitudes and nonacceptance
in a wider environment; additionally, using the Physical Activity Barrier Scale
for persons who are blind and visually impaired on a sample of 45 persons, separated
barriers were singled out: the one from an inaccessible physical environment and barriers
of a psychological nature. Persons with low vision participated in various sports and
recreational activities significantly more frequent than blind ones, although the frequency
of barriers to exercise was not statistically different.
The inaccessibility of the physical environment is a major factor limiting the social
participation of adults with visual impairments in the field of leisure activities which, with
inadequate attitudes of the social environment, insufficient material resources and
dependence of the help of other people, limits the participation of persons with visual
impairment in many domains important for social participation.
Introduction
Activities that individuals engage in in their free time, which they choose to do freely and
enjoy it outside of school or professional obligations, are called leisure activities. Most often they
are classified into three categories: organized group activities, informal social activities and
informal individual activities (Van Naarden & Yeargin-Allsopp, 2006). Through those activities,
individual meets his own psychological needs and achieve life satisfaction. The number of
different activities in which a person participate reflects his or her social interaction and social
relationships, while restrictions on participation in social activities, leisure activities and activities related to work engagement together with difficulties in carrying out daily activities can impede
independence, autonomy and quality of life (Dijkhuizen, Hilgenkamp, Krijnen, van der Schans,
& Waninge, 2016; Kempen, Ballemans, Ranchor, van Rens, & Zijlstra,
Previously conducted research on visually impaired people has mainly been focused on
clinical and functional outcomes, while participation in society most often has been neglected. As
consequence, knowledge of the social outcomes of visual impairment was limited (Alma, 2012).
Contemporary research tendencies are aimed at determining the impact of chronic illnesses or
any impairment on an individual's social participation. Undoubtedly, the existence of biological
damage of any degree can lead to functional limitations. However, many other factors related to
the physical and social environment can represent significant barriers in social participation for
people with visual impairments (Stanimirov, 2016).
Theoretical considerations
Social participation (SP) is a determinant of active aging, and can produce positive physical
and mental outcomes. Social participation encourages physical activity (PA), and vice versa
social support and networks gained through physical activities encourage SP (Tomioka,
Kurumatani, & Hosoi, 2017). Therefore, PA is an essential component of SP. However, persons
with disabilities are most often characterized by an alarmingly low level of physical fitness,
which impedes inclusion in PA, has a negative impact on quality of life (Ward, Farnsworth,
Babkes-Stellino, & Perrett, 2011) and over time contributes to the development of chronic
diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles (heart problems, stroke, depression, obesity, etc.).
Research suggests that visually impaired people are least physically active compared to
people with other types of disabilities (Haegele, Hodge, & Kozub, 2017). This situation is a
consequence of numerous barriers that hinder the inclusion of people with visual impairments in
various PA. Barriers may be the result of objective or subjective problems, but they also may be
imposed by society (Stuart, Lieberman, & Hand, 2006; Ward, Farnsworth, Babkes-Stellino, &
Perrett, 2011). Objective problems include functions of gross motor skills, manual abilities,
cognitive abilities, communication skills, etc. (Bult, Verschuren, Jongmans, Lindeman, &
Ketelaar,
dependence on the help of others, disability itself, different physical obstacles in the environment,
and fear of injury as the most significant barrier to engaging in PA (Griffin, Phoenik, & Smith,
2016, prema Brunes, Flanders, & Augestad, 2017). Additional problems are the cost, as well as
the lack of a suitable company to exercise with (Haegele et al., 2017; Jaarsma, Dekker,
Koopmans, Dijkstra, & Geertzen, 2014",
publisher = "www . ICEVI - Europe . org",
journal = "Special Edition of ICEVI European Newsletter
Proceedings of the 7th ICEVI Balkan Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria
20.10.2019-23.10.2019",
title = "Social participation of visually impaired adults – access to leisure activities",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfasper_3151"
}
