In order to create appropriate environments for individuals with visual impairment to perform sports activities, it is necessary to enable them to safely move from their homes to sites of activity as a prerequisite. Such safe movements should be ensured not only with guides or guide dogs, but also using assistive technology for independent travel. This paper discusses the possibility of such technology to contribute to the sports activities of individuals with visual impairment, particularly their performance. Sound localization as an important factor of orientation and mobility should be considered separately from the ability to relate it to the postural sense. It is important to provide those lacking visual information with training to improve their postural sense. Furthermore, improved processing speed and portability, in addition to safety, comfort, and repeatability, are key to the application of assistive technology for independent travel to sports activities.

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Purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between verbal instruction and motor regulation in persons with intellectual disabilities. Subjects were 47 adults with intellectual disabilities (CA: 32.5±7.0 years. MA: 66.1±21.2 months). The tasks conducted in this study were Matting Familiar Figure Test (MFFT) which can assess the impulsivity - reflection and three motor regulation tasks. The cognitive styles were related motor regulation. Features of motor regulation in persons with intellectual disabilities were discussed.

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To develop appropriate sports programs for people with disabilities, it is important to elucidate their obstacles and needs with respect to sports activity. This study clarified the factors that affected people's participation in sports activity and the kinds of sports activities they were interested in. Seventy-nine adults who had been discharged from a rehabilitation hospital in south Ibaraki 3 months earlier completed self-administered questionnaires assessing their interests in sports participation, actual sports activity, and the activities they wanted to participate in. Just 23 (37%) actually participated in any sports activity. In the nonparticipant group, preference for sports activity (adjusted OR=9.58, CI 2.97-30.96) and the care needs level (adjusted OR=5.59, CI 1.14-27.5) were significantly related to their sports activity behavior. The reasons why individuals did not participate in any sports activity included worries about health, absence of interest in sports activity, problems with accessibility, and lack of information about what kind of sports program they could join. The most popular activity was "walking," although some showed interest in outdoor team sports such as soccer or baseball. The effect sizes were modest but suggest that people with disability in Ibaraki want safe, enjoyable sports programs.

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Those who attend only a few sessions of a simulation exercise tend to generalize and are thus misled about disabled individuals' experiences. Because such a superficial experience or understanding reinforces people's negative conceptions of disabled people, university classes about adapted physical activity must re-evaluate their student educational program to ensure that it provides students with an in-depth understanding of disabilities and encourages them to reconsider what it means to be disabled. The purpose of this study was to research notions of disabilities among three groups: class of adapted physical activity, simulation exercises, and control. The results of a two-way multivariate analysis of variance suggested the class of adapted physical activity had positive levels of "understanding of support for disabled people" and "image of disability" compared to students with or without the simulation exercise experience. Moreover, the class of adapted physical activity had a positive level of "rejection of disability" and "familiarity with disability" when compared with students who had no simulation exercise. These results suggest the usefulness of the adapted physical activity class.

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