The Department for Sport and Human Movement Science organized an international workshop on May 2nd, as part of the ongoing project "Smart Sport Assistance". Under the leadership of department head Univ.-Prof. Dr. Arnold Baca, the team of the University of Vienna welcomed participating researchers from Poland, Germany, and Austria. The main goal of the project is to enable and enhance physical activities for students with vision impairment and blindness through research and the development of new assistance systems.

During the two-day workshop, there were presentations and subsequent discussions on newly developed assistance systems in the areas of swimming, strength training, and ball sports. In particular, the "technical bell ball" was extensively discussed and evaluated, with numerous ideas exchanged and gathered from all sides.

The workshop finished with discussions about the next steps and ways in which the developed systems can be properly disseminated in the upcoming months and, above all, used correctly in sport activities by both coaches and teachers.

The next phase of the project will focus on the targeted spreading and implementation of these systems. For this purpose, methods discussed in the workshop will be used and partners contacted in order to ultimately provide the best possible support for people with vision impairment and blindness in schools and sports facilities.