Leisure as a human right: an exploration of people with disabilities’ perceptions of leisure, arts and recreation participation through Australian Community Access Services

ABSTRACT

Community Access Services (CAS) are defined as ‘Services designed to provide opportunities for people with disability to gain and use their abilities to enjoy their full potential for social independence’ [Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2015. Disability Services National Minimum Data Set Collection: Data Transmission and Technical Guide. Canberra: AIHW]. A notable absence of international research regarding leisure, arts and recreation through CAS exists. This study explores perceptions of people with disabilities on their participation in leisure, arts and recreation through Australian CAS. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used involving: memoing, observations, focus groups, interviews and questionnaires from people with disabilities and their families (n = 114); and a critical discourse analysis of texts (n = 42). Results revealed seven major themes including: transition to leisure, arts and recreation; individualized services; local accessible services; positive organizational culture; community inclusion; innovation and co-production. These findings may contribute to the transformation of CAS as people with disabilities actively engage as equal partners within leisure, arts and recreation as a human right.

KEYWORDS:

• Leisure
• recreation
• art
• disability
• day activities
• human rights
• co-production
• inclusion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ted Evans is a father of two children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is a PhD candidate at Flinders University in the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences and Nursing, Disability and Community Inclusion Unit having previously completed Masters and Bachelors qualifications in Management. He is also a Chief Policy Officer within the Policy and Community Development Division, Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (South Australian Government).

Dr Michelle Bellon is a Senior Lecturer at Flinders University in the Department of Disability and Community Inclusion, and has been a Supervisor of this project for several years.

Dr Brian Matthews is a recently retired Senior Lecturer who has been Principal Supervisor of this project for several years but is in the process of moving to Associate Supervisor due to his retirement. Brian has a 40 year history of work in the disability field and academia in Australia and has strong interests in quality services for people with disabilities.