Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of audio and tactile aids in enabling the blind to participate in badminton. This was accomplished by developing the appropriate audio and tactile aids, training the subjects in the use of the aids, and evaluating the usefulness of the aids. Methods. A sound emitting shuttlecock was designed to produce tones audible from any location on the court. Two locator devices were constructed; each emitted a different frequency beeping sound. A court was developed which provided three different textured surfaces. The subjects were ten female and eight male students enrolled at the Texas School for the Blind in Austin, Texas. The subjects were divided in to three groups of six. Group I subjects were legally blind with vision of ²⁰/200 or less. Group II subjects were adventitiously totally blind and Group III subjects were congenitally totally blind. The medical records of each subject indicated normal hearing. An attempt was made to select from the total group of volunteers the eighteen who, upon casual observation, possessed the highest degree of neuromuscular coordination. Nevertheless, the subjects possessed a wide range of coordination and motor skills. The subjects were instructed in the use of the aids for a total of fifteen hours. Each subject trained one hour per day five days per week for three weeks. Three subjects trained each period and the instructor worked individually with each for an equal amount of time..
Rogers, Larry Delmer (1977). Participation of the blind in badminton through the use of selected audio and tactile aids : by Larry Delmer Rogers. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -368423.