Exploring the dimensions of disability and leisure: an examination of disabled individuals’ social worlds and leisure experiences.

Abstract

Disability and the importance of making leisure accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities has been an issue within leisure studies over the years. However, evidence suggests that researchers and society still needs to develop an understanding of the different aspects of disabled individuals’ lives, in particular their leisure experiences. Therefore, this research aimed to critically explore and assess disabled individuals’ social worlds and leisure experiences. The research methodology adopted a constructivist- interpretivist approach involving interviews to gather data from individuals about their disabilities, lives and leisure experiences. Five participants were interviewed (2 males and 3 females, who were aged between 18 and 57). They all had different physical disabilities. Two major themes were identified, “Living and experiencing a disability” and “The leisure experience”. The first theme related to living and experiencing a disability. It was seen that each disability is different and that having a disability does not affect the personal characteristics of the individual, but does require the individual to manage and experience the implications of his/her medical condition(s). The second theme was about the participants’ leisure experiences where it was found that leisure is a personal activity which could be meaningful, enjoyable and could be beneficial to disabled individuals. However, it was also found that if the participants experience any access problems, or negative attitudes from others within society, this meaningful, enjoyable and beneficial experience could get interrupted. This interruption means that the leisure experience becomes less personal and has less of a positive impact upon the participants’ lives. Overall, it was found that different medical condition(s) can affect different individuals on different levels. It was also found that individuals with disabilities need to be seen as individuals. In addition, the leisure experience of individuals with a disability is not just about access and inclusion, but also about the individual experiencing leisure and having the ability to feel the positive effects of leisure. Consequently, the thesis contributes to knowledge of the social realities of the disabled individual’s life and how his/her disability affects his/her world. The thesis also contributes an understanding of the disabled individual’s leisure experiences and how leisure is a meaningful element of his/her time.