Special athletes with impairments are beautiful because of the sheer fact that they are moving, exercising and competing even with their impairment. They have the attitude that they can do anything and they act on it. Disabled people are able to do so much with just a little help. It is important for everyone to exercise to stay healthy. They give those with impairments an outlet to show how excellent in athletics they can be and this is what is beautiful. (Johnson, W., n.d.)
In her article, Johnson (n.d.) discusses how involving those with impairments, including those with visual impairments are special people and have the ability to participate in sports just as their sighted peers do. In addition, devoting time to physical activity is important not only for social reasons, but for health reasons as well. This is true in many walks of life, but a special focus should be devoted to ensure that those with disabilities are included. Unfortunately, individuals with a visual impairment tend to be denied participation in physical activity. This can be because the parents are very protective of their child or resources may not be readily available to be utilized effectively. Because of this, it is important for there to be promotion of and emphasis on doing some sort of physical movement. The participation in physical activity should be mandatory for every individual, especially those with visual impairments.
In a general sense, those who are visually impaired tend to perform/operate at a level of fitness that is lower than the general population on a whole. Unfortunately, as Lieberman (2002) writes, these children may be the ones that need more energy:
Children who are visually impaired, and blind consistently exhibited lower levels of fitness than sighted peers. Furthermore, for children who are blind, activities of daily living demand increased energy; and the need to be fit might be even greater…Physical activity levels of children who are visually impaired and blind can be improved, therefore improving comfort and success of movement.
However, as she writes, the children's fitness levels can be improved, but this will only happen if they are actually participating in the physical activity. Unfortunately, even with the greater need, the pressure may be too great for the children to stay out of the activities because of the fears of getting hurt, for example. If there were more education of the parents and society in general, the stigmatic attitudes can be improved, but only if people are willing to change. People who are visually impaired really are no different from anybody else because everyone is unique. They are people too, and as a result, have the same needs as the rest of the human population to move around in a positive way so important muscle groups and coordination can develop and be strengthened.
Butcher (2002) firmly believes in getting people to move in positive ways, which help to strengthen the body and mind.
I believe that physical exercise, recreation, and sports are vital to blind and visually impaired kids. The first reason is obviously the physical reason. I don't need to preach to you about what exercise does for your body. It helps your heart, it helps your lungs, and it gives you the energy to do what you need to do every day. Blind kids need to move and be physically active for the same reasons that everyone else needs to move-there's no difference. But there are other benefits, too, and ones that I think are especially important for blind and visually impaired kids. Athletics, sports, and recreation can give you lifetime skills that are transferable to other aspects of your life; skills that can help you become successful socially and professionally. (Butcher, J., 2002)
Because those with vision impairments are people too, not exercising is going to have an adverse effect on the body and mind in many different ways. Usually, the lack of physical activity leads to health problems such as high blood pressure and weight problems. Of course, just as those who as sighted are not all overweight or have high blood pressure because they don't exercise, some people who are visually impaired do not have those problems. In any case, physical activity makes quality of life better because they are healthier and have more stamina for daily life.
In addition to general stamina and health, physical activity helps to improve things like motor skills and competence, as was discovered in an international study by Gronmo and Augestad. They write:
The majority if empirical studies on individuals who are blind have concluded that their motor skills and physical competence are significantly lower than those of sighted individuals. One reason for these low skills and competence may be that people who are blind are less physically active than are those who are sighted. (Gronmo, S. J., Augestad, L. B., 2000, August)
