Leisure aspirations of people with visual impairment in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite the contestation of the existence of leisure freedom, particularly among marginalized populations such as people with disabilities, there have been limited studies to ascertain their leisure aspirations. The negative socio-cultural connotations of disability in Ghana further constricts disabled peoples’ leisure freedom and therefore warrants research into their leisure aspirations. Employing data obtained from 330 people with visual impairment, via a questionnaire, the study established that the respondents exercised limited freedom in the choice of their leisure activities. Activities desired but out of their reach included jogging, playing board games (ludo, oware and drafts) playing football, reading, visiting recreational areas, and visiting friends and relatives. Reasons for their inability to indulge in desired activities encompassed bodily dysfunction, financial constraints, lack of social support and inaccessible physical environment. The probability of facing any of these constraints was based on the respondents’ age, marital status, formal educational status and monthly income.