Transport-related welfare for people with disabilities - a study focusing on visual impairment

In transport policy, one essential goal is that the transport system will help to provide all citizens with a basic access to social functions, and social life in a broad sense. At the same time, the transport system should be developed to make it useful for people with disabilities. These goals are in line with the goals of disability policy, formulated by the Government: to achieve equality in living conditions, and full participation in society for people with disabilities.

Knowledge about transport-related welfare consequences for people with disabilities is today limited. Such knowledge is important, as a basis for the design of regulations, measures and resource allocation, linked to obstacles and possibilities for people with disabilities to use the transport system.

The purpose of the research project is to investigate how welfare change for individuals who have previously used a car as a regular transport, but who have their driving license withdrawn, due to loss of visual field. The overall issue is:

• How does the transport-related welfare change, in short and long term, for individuals who have their driving license withdrawn, due to visual field failure?

The project consists of two sub-studies: a qualitative and a quantitative study. The qualitative study is based on interviews, organized by narrative method. The quantitative study consists of a cross-sectional survey.

The project is sociologically oriented, both to transport research and to disability research. As a theoretical framework, the study associates to the so-called capability approach (CA).

The project consists of a licentiate thesis, but is planned to be extended to a doctoral dissertation.