visually impaired

This study aimed to compare the effect of listening strategies, namely, metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies, on impulsive and reflective visually impaired EFL learners’ (VILs) listening comprehension. The participants of the study were 58 male and female VILs at pre-intermediate level within the age range of 12-18 in the west of Iran, Khorram Abad. These participants were selected non-randomly from among 10 different classes available to the researcher. To select the participants, the researcher talked to learners of these 10 classes and sought the consent of 58 learners to take part in the study. The Preliminary English Test (PET) pre-piloted on 30 students with almost similar characteristics to the target sample was administered to 72 students for selecting a homogenized group of participants. Then, 58 students were selected. Afterwards, the researcher administered the Personality Questionnaire developed by Eysenck (1975) to categorize them into two experimental groups of impulsive and reflective. Furthermore, the researcher made sure that the two groups were homogeneous regarding their listening comprehension prior to the start of the treatment. In this study, both experimental groups practiced listening comprehension through listening strategies, namely, metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies. The listening section of the PET test was administered as the posttest at the end of the treatment to both groups and their mean scores on the tests were compared through Independent Samples t-test. The results of statistical analyses led to the rejection of null hypothesis with the conclusion that the reflective learners significantly outperformed the impulsive students on the posttest of listening comprehension.

Visual impairment significantly impacts physical activity participation, often leading to reduced fitness levels among affected individuals. This study aims to compare the physical fitness characteristics of male and female goalball athletes aged 14-20 years, a critical developmental period for performance enhancement. A total of 100 athletes (50 male, 50 female) were assessed for strength, endurance, power, flexibility, and balance through various standardized tests. Results indicated significant differences in hand grip strength, medicine ball throw distance, vertical jump, and balance, with males outperforming females (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in push-up and sit-up performance, suggesting comparable endurance capabilities across genders. These findings underscore the necessity for gender-specific training regimens to address identified disparities, particularly in strength and power. The study contributes to a limited body of literature on the physical fitness of goalball players and highlights implications for inclusive training strategies that enhance athletic performance regardless of gender. Future research should explore the correlation between physical fitness attributes and on-court performance metrics to further inform coaching practices.

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in the study of using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the effect of a 6-week AI-generated core stability training program on balance and flatfoot in blind female students. This quasi-experimental study selected 30 female students aged 9-12 years with flatfoot in Tehran City, dividing them into two groups: one for experimental (N = 15) and another for control (N = 15). The experimental groups had six weeks of AI-based intervention with three sessions per week. During this period, the control group engaged in the routine activities of the physical education class. The navicular drop index and Y balance test were done as pre-posttest, respectively. The Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for inferential statistics. Data analysis was conducted at a significance level of 95% with an alpha level less than or equal to 0.05. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in the scores of the Y balance test (p<0.035) and the navicular drop test (p<0.001), even when the pre-test effect was taken into account (covariate). By leveraging AI to design tailored exercise regimens, practitioners can enhance postural control and musculoskeletal health in visually impaired individuals. These results underscore the potential of AI-assisted rehabilitation strategies in special education settings, highlighting the need for further researc