Social participation of visually impaired adults – access to leisure activities

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, 20147th ICEVI Balkan conference: Free access, real educational inclusion and unlimited technolog