Obstacles to Participation visually impaired and the Blinds in Physical Activity in Qazvin

The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to participation of the visually impaired and blind in physical activities in Qazvin. The research method is descriptive and causal and applied research.

The statistical population based on Krejcie and Morgan table included 1398 (N = 1930) blinds and visually impaired in Qazvin, 320 people were selected by regular random sampling. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with 35 questions in 6 components, including individual, temporal, social, cultural, economic and geographical-spatial deterrents in a 5 Likert scale, the validity of which was approved after consultation and approval of 10 experts in this field. Its reliability was calculated to be 0.98 with Cronbach's alpha and distributed among the sample extracted from the statistical population. In this study, descriptive statistics and central indicators such as mean and dispersion indices such as standard deviation and inferential statistics by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to show the distribution status and normality of data and T test to compare the differences between means and Friedman test were used to rank the indicators and influencing factors. Statistical analysis of this study was performed using SPSS software version 23.

The results showed that economic, geographical-spatial, social, temporal, cultural and personal barriers create the greatest barriers to the participation of visually impaired and blind people in physical activities, respectively. Research also showed that there are statistically significant differences between prioritizing barriers to participation of visually impaired and blind people in physical activities.

If the country's officials want the growth and development of sports among the blind and visually impaired people, they should prevent the destructive consequences of not paying attention to this issue by paying special attention and planning for them. It is obvious that expanding the participation of the blind and partially sighted in physical activities requires the efforts of all officials, families and the individual himself in this field.