Disabled children and young people face barriers when moving from A to B

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-02-09 09:30

New Zealand

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Mobility is vital for wellbeing, but disabled children and young people face major social, financial, and environment barriers when moving around in their communities. New Zealand researchers interviewed 35 children and young people who were blind or low vision, D/deaf or hearing impaired, or mobility impaired. Being mobile improved their fitness levels and access to friends, encouraged resilience, and enabled them to experience freedom, risk and enjoyment. However, there were significant barriers including suitability of public transport, lack of a good support team, and the mental load of planning a trip. To make meaningful change, the authors say that everyone needs to recognise and change the ableist language, policies and practices that currently exist, so that disabled children and young people can actively participate in society and not feel excluded.

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Research Elsevier, Web page

Journal/
conference: Wellbeing, Space and Society

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, AUT University

Funder: This research was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (grant number 15/260). MS is supported by a Health Research Council of New Zealand Sir Charles Hercus Research Fellowship (grant number 17/013). The funding agency was not involved in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation or publication of the research.

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