Examining the impact of participation in recreational sports activities on the quality of life of visually impaired women

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of the sporting and recreational activities of visually impaired women residing in 9 different provinces within the borders of Turkey, who are active in sports as licensed athletes or for exercise purposes, on their quality of life. The research sample was determined using the "typical case sampling" method, one of the "purposive sampling" methods. In this qualitative research, the researcher utilized the "interview method." In the scope of the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 visually impaired women residing in the cities of Batman, Diyarbakır, Kayseri, Bayburt, Istanbul, Aksaray, Ankara, Denizli, and Samsun, who have different degrees of visual impairment (B1, B2, and B3). The data were analyzed using the "descriptive content analysis" method. The data obtained from the research were categorized under four main themes of quality of life and their sub-dimensions were determined. These main themes are as follows: 1. Psychological Health, 2. Physical Health, 3. Social Relationships, 4. Environmental Conditions. Through the data analysis obtained from our research, it was determined that visually impaired women gained beneficial outcomes in all sub-dimensions of the four main themes of quality of life through sporting recreational activities. Based on the data obtained, recommendations have been made to help visually impaired women improve their quality of life.