Accessible and inclusive transportation for youth with disabilities: exploring innovative solutions

Abstract

Background: Although access to reliable transportation is an essential component of quality of life, young people with disabilities encounter many transportation-related obstacles.

Objective: To explore solutions to the challenges that youth with disabilities encounter in accessing and navigating transportation.

Methods: A nominal group technique was used in two consultation workshops (one involving rehabilitation clinicians and accessible transportation stakeholders; and one with youth with disabilities and parents). Fifteen participants across two workshops took part and prioritized their solutions and we used a comparative analysis within and between groups to explore overarching themes.

Results: The workshops resulted in 122 solutions (76 from youth/parents; 46 from stakeholders). Although there was considerable overlap within the ideas generated between the groups, they each prioritized them differently. The following themes emerged across the two group’s prioritized solutions: training, funding, enhancing access, and improved efficiency.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight that youth with disabilities, parents and key stakeholders offered many practical solutions for enhancing accessible transportation for youth with disabilities.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Clinicians and educators should explore different apps and transportation training programs that could help support youth with disabilities to enhance their independence and participation in the community

• Clinicians and educators should be involved in the development of disability awareness training programs for public transit and school bus drivers to enhance youth’s inclusion and participation in society.

• Clinicians, educators, youth and parents should continue to advocate for inclusive, accessible, affordable and efficient transportation for people with disabilities.

Keywords:

• Transportation
• accessibility
• youth
• nominal group technique
• adolescent

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the staff, students and volunteers in the TRAIL lab for their support and the participants who took part in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The first author holds a career award from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. This study was funded by a No Boundaries Fund through the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through the “No Boundaries Fund” through the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital