Abstract
As originally conceived, normalization has been considered as making patterns and conditions of disabilities life as close as possible to regular circumstances available to individuals. The normalization principle has addressed the situation and needs of mentally retarded. In practice, however, the opportunities for mental retarded persons to participate in sport activity has been limited in Japan society. The mentally retarded persons should be given more opportunities to participate in sport. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the care facilities should influence sport activity of mental retarded persons; how the normalization principle should be in practice in terms of sport management. The information was collected from the facilities enrolled in Japanese Association for the Care and Training of the Mentally Retarded. The total 284 facilities had been surveyed since December of 1994 to January of 1995. The survey covers 22 prefectures in 4 regions; Hokaido, Tohoku, Kanto, and Kinki. The statistical techniques employed were principal component analysis, a coefficient of cor elation, and multiple regression analysis. The results in this study were summarized as follws: 1) The habiritation sections in care facilities superior to the working section in three factors of normalization: cooperation with community, images for community, and personal services in care facilities. 2) The working sections in care facilities does not always have managerial resources. It is necessary for working section to have good cooperation with community, to get mental retarded persons in sport activity. 3) In care facilities which have younger clients, larger number of clients and better cooperation with community, the mental retarded persons tend to spend more hours in sport activity. 4) In working sections in care facilities, the rate of sport hour should depend on the rate of success which results from cooperation with community.
