Date of Award

Summer 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Human Movement Sciences

Committee Director

Justin A. Haegele

Committee Member

Xihe Zhu

Committee Member

Ruth Osorio

Abstract

Substantial research has indicated that blind and visually impaired adults often do not meet physical activity guidelines, and therefore, are not experiencing the numerous affordances of physical activity participation. However, those who report meeting physical activity guidelines express higher rates of health-related quality of life. Largely, the research examining the physical activity behaviors and perspectives of blind and visually impaired adults have been survey studies leaving a rich description of their physical activity experiences unexplored. The overall aim of this project was to engage with blind or visually impaired women to understand their experiences accessing and participating in physical activity, exercise, and/or sport. This dissertation was designed using a two-manuscript format. The purpose of the first study was to examine the experiences of blind and visually impaired women when attempting to access and participate in exercise, physical activity, and/or sport through an intersectional lens. An experiential qualitative research approached was utilized, and 10 blind and visually impaired women between the ages of 27-45 years served as participants. Data were collected through one-on-one audio recorded semi-structured interviews with each participant. The reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data yielded the construction of two themes, (1) ‘The female part definitely adds another layer of perceived vulnerability’: Confounding vulnerability, and (2) ‘Men are seen as strong; women are seen as bitches’: Navigating stereotypes. Findings revealed that participants were aware of others perceiving them as vulnerable, and that to avoid gendered and abled exchanges, they adopted several practices that allowed them to feel safer in physical activity environments. Additionally, the women’s physical activity experiences were clearly impacted by gender and disability stereotypes evidenced by the ways in which they navigated the disparities in expectations. The purpose of the second study was to examine the subjective feelings of belonging for blind and visually impaired women when participating in exercise, physical activity, and/or sport. To do this, an experiential qualitative research approach was used. Ten blind or visually impaired women aged 27-45 years served as participants and completed two one-on-one audio recorded semi-structured interviews. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the interview data where three cascading themes were constructed: (1) ‘When you get there, and people welcome you’: Feeling welcomed to join spaces, (2) ‘Feeling like I can contribute and I'm valuable’: Feeling accepted within those spaces, and (3) ‘Having the opportunity to build positive relationships’: Building community that extends beyond spaces. Participants described instances of belonging in physical activity spaces where they were welcomed, felt accepted and valued, and were able to develop long-lasting friendships. Though the women involved in these studies highlighted unique safety and societal stereotyping concerns, it was apparent that feelings of belonging can be fostered in physical activity places and spaces. Further intersectionality research should explore the influence of other identities among this population along with gender and disability.

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DOI

10.25777/zaef-8x97

ISBN

9798384444213

ORCID

0000-0001-6485-0803

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