Impact of environmental factors on participation of people with mobility impairments in travel: A self-determination perspective

Various environmental factors that impede participation of people with disabilities in society have been identified in the literature. Yet there is lack of empirical evidence of the magnitude of these obstacles’ impact on participation. Guided by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the impact of environmental factors (i.e. accessibility of travel businesses) on participation of people with mobility impairments in leisure travel through the lenses of needs satisfaction (autonomy, competence and relatedness) and motivation (intrinsic, identified, introjected, external and amotivation).

A total of 288 usable surveys were collected online from subscribers with mobility impairments to a mobility magazine.  Respondents demonstrated highest intrinsic motivation (M=5.0 on a 7-point scale, SD=1.4) and lowest amotivation or unwillingness (M=2.5, SD=1.5) for leisure travel. They perceived the highest level of needs met in Relatedness (desires to belong or feel connected to others; M=5.5 on a 7-point scale, SD=0.9) and lowest in Competence (propensity to be effective in obtaining a valued outcome; M=4.7, SD=1.2) when traveling. Results of Structural Equation Modeling analysis show that accessibility in travel businesses (e.g. hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc.) was positively related to needs satisfaction, which subsequently significantly influenced people’s intention to travel through intrinsic and identified motivation.

SDT is empirically supported in the context of participation of people with mobility impairments in leisure travel. Environmental factors were found to influence participation mostly indirectly through needs satisfaction and different types of motivation. That is, accessibility in businesses will enhance motivation for travel, which in turn, facilitates participation in leisure travel.