Formy spędzania czasu wolnego przez osoby niesłyszące

Abstract

Leisure time, the budget allocated for it and making use of it perceived as one of indicators of quality of life is still an up-to-date research issue for representatives of various fields (e.g. sociology, economics, the area of tourism and recreation). However, in publications tackling this theme, there is still too little attention paid to problems of people with special needs. The authors of the present paper attempt to pinpoint present ways of spending free time in a chosen group of the disabled, i.e. in the environment of hearing-impaired people. The major purpose of the research is to define (1) a budget and the way of spending spare time on weekdays, (2) the way of spending spare time at weekends and on public holidays and (3) when having a day off or holidays. The analysis is based on the results of surveys supervised by A. Zajadacz from March to September 2007 in most branches of the Polish Association of the Deaf (PZG, Polski Związek Głuchych). The surveys were carried out among 191 hearing-impaired people. The questionnaires were sent by post and respondents were asked to fill them in with the assistance of a sign language interpreter. While analysing the results, the information obtained in the course of interviews and observation carried out among the hearing-impaired was taken into account as well. The results confirmed the recognised peculiarity of members of the social group in question, their tendency to ‘shut themselves off’ in their own environment called culturally deaf or linguistic minority (communicating in a sign language). The feedback of informants simultaneously denies the stereotype that all hearing-impaired people ‘are the same’ as it shows a great diversity of leisure time activities performed on weekdays, at weekends and on public holidays as well as on days off and during holidays. Typical weekday leisure activities include: PZG meetings, meetings with families and hearing-impaired friends, walks, reading newspapers, watching TV (with the assistance of a sign language interpreter). On Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays, walks and meetings with friends are the most popular way of relaxation (both in the place of living and beyond it). Moreover, frequent watching TV, both with the support of the sign language and without it, and reading newspapers are characteristic activities in the place of living. During weekend outings, tourist trips are organized. While having days off or holidays, walks are most popular (they are equally popular at weekends and on public holidays) and leisure time is definitely dominated by outdoor and active ways of spending spare time, for example: sight-seeing, swimming, sun bathing, nature observation, riding a bi-cycle, walking in the mountains although one third of the surveyed people indicated watching TV and reading. The presented findings should be used while preparing tourist offer aimed at hearing-impaired people. Making them popular may enhance perceiving the peculiarity of problems of this group of people in the society.