Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the early research findings of a case study centred on the transport needs of children with disabilities. Its findings will be discussed in relation to types of Future Mobilities that are currently being created and examined by transport industries across the globe.

Paper long abstract:

At this stage of my PhD I am focusing on a case study, in collaboration with the organisation Mobility and Accessibility for Children in Australia (MACA), that centres on the transport needs of children with a disability and/or medical condition. My research tackles questions such as: How do those who might be left out of current transport systems already travel? How do technologies participate in this? What works for them, what doesn't? How do they make it work? How do they envisage their futures? My approach includes a variety of ethnographically informed methods which in some cases have been updated due to covid restrictions (semi-structured face-to-face interviews, online interviews, discussion of comics strips that depict various transport needs or future imaginings of mobility, keeping travel journals, and the completing of “car maps” that are used to map what is in the car, where everyone sits, etc.) Combined they help to examine the everyday aspect of the individual's lives, putting people to the forefront of the project. This conference paper explores the early research findings of this work. Common threads have already emerged from the interviews:

1. Uncertainty towards the future as the children age

2. Anxieties around safety and the type of technologies used for safety.

These findings will be discussed and expanded upon in relation to types of Future Mobilities that are currently being created and examined by governments and transport industries across the globe.