Effects of an intervention in physical education on the functional autonomy of young people with visual disabilities, in an educational institution in Medellín-Colombia

Abstract

Problem: from the perspective of inclusion, it is necessary to promote the functional autonomy of people with visual disabilities. However, few studies address this problem. Objective: to evaluate the effect of an intervention in physical education in young people with visual disabilities. Method: quantitative, exploratory, non-experimental, longitudinal study, in which a questionnaire adapted from the Barthel, Lawton and Mongil Indices was created to evaluate functional autonomy. An intentional sample was selected consisting of eleven high school students with visual disabilities, aged between 11 and 20 years, from grades six to eleven. The students received physical education classes for a year to improve physical abilities. The questionnaire was applied at the beginning and after finishing the intervention. Data were analyzed using the Guttman Scalogram. Results: in the two moments of application of the instrument, no student classified at the level of “severe total dependence”. It was found that the students presented significant advances in functional autonomy at the end of the intervention, in terms of improving their physical abilities. Conclusion: the practice of physical exercise, games and other physical activity practices that improve physical capabilities, improve performance in activities of daily living at all levels and, therefore, functional autonomy. Furthermore, interaction with others contributes significantly to improving functional autonomy, generating motivation and participation in various spaces. It is important to evaluate functional autonomy, to know in which aspects more effective support should be provided, in accordance with the needs of the person with disabilities.