Examining Belonging Experienced by Blind and Visually Impaired Women in Physical Activity Spaces

The purpose of this 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 age 27-45 years served as participants and completed two one-on-one audio-recorded semistructured interviews. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the interview data, from which three themes were constructed: (a) "When you get there, and people welcome you": Feeling welcomed to join spaces, (b) "Feeling like I can contribute and I'm valuable": Feeling accepted within those spaces, and (c) "Having the opportunity...": 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.