The quality of life of individuals with physical disabilities is shaped by an interplay of physical, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Sport and recreational activities can significantly alleviate their everyday challenges, as they promote physical fitness, a sense of competence, social connectedness, and psychological stability. Despite numerous findings on the benefits of sport, less is known about how
individuals with physical disabilities themselves perceive their quality of life within specific sports disciplines, such as para table tennis.
In this master’s thesis, we focused on the subjectively perceived quality of life of Slovenian para table tennis players. Using an online questionnaire, we examined eight
key domains of quality of life: physical and emotional well-being, personal development, self-determination, social inclusion, interpersonal relationships, rights, and material well-being. We sought to identify which domains participants perceive as the most supportive and which as weaker. The study included six para table tennis players. The results indicate that participants rate relationships with close others, their
physical well-being, and emotional stability the highest, confirming the positive effects of sports participation on psychophysical well-being. They also express a strong sense
of autonomy and personal growth, fostered by regular engagement in sport.Challenges were identified in the areas of social inclusion, the realisation of rights, and material well-being, where participants more frequently perceive limitations related to service accessibility, financial burdens, and administrative or environmental barriers.
These aspects remain key challenges despite participants being active and sport representing an important source of support for them.
Physical activity thus represents an important supportive factor in the subjective quality of life of para table tennis players. At the same time, the research reveals that certain
aspects, particularly social inclusion, the realisation of rights, and material well-being, still require greater societal and systemic attention. In this way, the thesis contributes to a better understanding of the lived experience of physically active individuals with physical disabilities and opens opportunities for the development of programmes that
could further enhance their quality of life.
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