“What is the point of being able to enter a building if the service or activity is not adapted?”: Leisure opportunities for people with severe disabilities’

Abstract

Leisure and relationships are crucial for human development, especially in the youth stage, and are recognised rights. Notwithstanding, young people with disabilities encounter many barriers to access these activities, especially those with severe disabilities. We aim to analyse their experiences and those of their families in this area. We conducted a reflexive thematic analysis of 25 interviews held with young people with severe disabilities and/or their guardians from different areas of Aragón (Spain). We detected difficulties, such as access to resources, and the relevance of family support and its impact. Aggravating factors, such as being institutionalised, being a migrant or having multidisability were assessed. After discussing participants’ proposals with current research, we proposed measures to improve social inclusion in the leisure of young people with severe disabilities, such as recognising the leisure assistant figure, the training for and more professionals, or the incorporation of the intersectional perspective into specialised social services.