‘With us, we, like, physically can’t’: transport, mobility and the leisure experiences of teenage wheelchair users

This paper reflects upon the experiences of 69 British teenage wheelchair users in their attempts to access leisure environments. Heiser’s (Heiser, B. 1995. “The Nature and Causes of Transport Disability in Britain, and How to Remove It.” In Removing Disability Barriers, edited by G. Zarb, 49–64. London: Policy Studies Institute) notion of transport disability is developed, and the concepts of transport anxiety and mobility dependency are explored. The challenges that young people in general experience when attempting to access public and private forms of transport (namely, buses, trains, taxis and private cars) are discussed, and the additional ‘layers’ of disadvantage experienced by teenage wheelchair users explored. The ramifications of barriers to transport for young wheelchair users in particular are shown.