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Abstract

Because the United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) is the only organization that offers national competition in two or more sports for blind persons, and because few athletes take advantage of the opportunities presented, the USABA was selected as the population to be studied with the aim of gaining insight into social systems which contribute to sport socialization of blind persons. Interview data were obtained from 133 athletes (44% of entrants) competing in the sixth national USABA games. Findings are presented as percentages and chi-square values for personal attributes, socializing agents, and socializing situations. Information is given also on national meets: number of events entered, frequency of participation in each sport, and amount of training or practice before competition. The social learning model (Bandura, 1969; Kenyon & McPherson, 1973) is used as the theoretical framework of the study. Findings are discussed with reference to what is known about sport socialization of sighted athletes.

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Sport Socialization of Blind Athletes: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

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