Disabled travel and urban environment: A literature review

Critical Elements of Disability Models as Determinants of Travel Intention of People With Disabilities Towards Natural and Cultural Destinations

“…Thus, these findings are aligned with the available literature on the critical role of transportation services in tourism development (Khadaroo and Seetanah, 2007), particularly in one-day cultural tours (Terziyska, 2021). Hence, based upon findings from this research, it is worth mentioning that regardless of the supplier (i.e., private or public), high-quality transportation services for PWDS may help significantly reduce any disability and social participation barrier (Márquez et al, 2019;Özcan et al, 2021;Ralph et al, 2022;Shen et al, 2023). Accordingly, PWDS experiencing better sensations via suitable means of transportation during travel and tourism activities may decide on more extended stays or more frequent travels towards specific destinations all year round or just on holidays.…”

“…The medical model of disability in travel and tourism activities Early 50's, Talcott Parsons first released the medical model of disability (Parsons,1951), which viewed the disability as a personal tragedy or a medical problem that inevitably requires permanent help and care from family or caregivers; consequently, it needed to be fixed or cured to fit into society (Carlson, 2010;Thomas and Woods, 2003). Accordingly, this model placed the responsibility for disability on the individual and aimed to provide medical interventions and treatments as a means of minimising their impairments and limitations (Shen et al, 2023). Thus, these medical improvements had the potential to enhance PWDs' health and mobility, increasing their probability of inclusion and participation in many aspects of life (Haegele and Hodge, 2016), including travel and tourism activities.…”

“…Thus, for instance, physical barriers (i.e., inaccessible buildings and housing/infrastructure, transportation systems) or attitudinal barriers (i.e., discrimination and stigma) can prevent PWDS from experiencing enhanced functioning, health and well-being (Darcy and Buhalis, 2011). Across the travel and tourism sector as well as other social life activities, this model highlights the need for severe societal changes to remove these barriers (Shen et al, 2023). Thus, recent research in the travel and tourism field that has applied some dimensions of the social model of disability has helped improve our understanding of disability by identifying critical elements that hinder the provision of equal opportunities, participation, inclusion and rights for disabled individuals (Zajadacz, 2015, Kamyabi andAlipour, 2022).…”

“…Access to public and private transportation options is vital in motivating or constraining PWDS from participating in travel and tourism activities (Özcan et al, 2021). Furthermore, other associated factors, such as the availability of suitable travel modes, schedules, and distances between tourist origin and destinations, may also constrain PWDs' decision-making and feasibility to travel to specific destinations (Márquez et al, 2019;Shen et al, 2023), consequently reducing tourism demand. Although some transportation problems for PWDS have been identified, there is a lack of empirical data to determine their interplay with other variables, such as socio -demographic features, income, level of functional impairment, automobile ownership, mode of travel (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2007), particularly in the tourism sector.…”

Developing Problematic Performance Value Scores: Binding Routine Activity Performance, Environmental Barriers, and Health Conditions

“…Despite many studies identifying environmental barriers that limit mobility and physical activity among individuals with disabilities, limited sample sizes have hindered the comprehensive quantification of these relationships. There is a consensus that further research is needed to better understand the interaction effects between disability type and built environment features [ 38 ]. However, such research can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, which limits the current body of knowledge on how different types of functional limitations are impacted by built environmental barriers and facilitators.…”