Navigating access and participation in grappling sports among adults with visual impairments: a qualitative study

Abstract

Adults with visual impairment (VI) are typically less active than their sighted peers, partly because many physical activity options are difficult to access and sustain. Grappling sports, which involve near-constant contact and reduce reliance on visual tracking, are often considered inherently accessible, yet little is known about practitioners' experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations and lived experiences of adults with VI who participate in grappling sports, and to interpret how expectancies, values and costs shape initiation and sustained engagement within real-world training environments. Using an interpretive description approach, nine participants completed semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis, with expectancy-value theory applied abductively. Four themes were generated. First, we interpreted transportation and logistics as a primary barrier, shaped by how vision impairment interacted with travel time, cost, and reliance on others. Second, instruction emerged as a potential bottleneck: participants described vision-dependent demonstrations and vague spatial cues as limiting learnability, and multisensory instruction as supporting skill acquisition; many relied on self-advocacy to access learning. Third, participants described grappling as a “one-stop shop” for physical health, psychological relief and functional confidence. Fourth, participants related sustained participation to identity development and belonging. These findings suggest that continued participation in grappling sport hinged on access to training, instructional accessibility within training settings, and an ongoing balance of value and costs. Coaches and clubs can support participation by reducing transportation burdens, making multisensory instruction routine, and building cultures that do not rely on individual self-advocacy.