“We could get out more often if accessibility was improved”: Inaccessible everyday environments, participation, and wellbeing among autistic people and families in Australia

Authors

Abstract

Autism accessibility research has documented barriers in specific settings, including healthcare, education, employment, transport, and community spaces. However, less is known about the accessibility barriers autistic people and families experience across everyday life, or how these experiences relate to wellbeing and participation. This mixed-methods survey examined accessibility barriers, participation, and perceived wellbeing impacts among 149 autistic adults and 97 parents/caregivers of autistic people in Australia. Autistic adults reported on their own experiences, while parents/caregivers reported on behalf of the autistic person they supported across seven domains: healthcare, employment, employment support, transport, retail, education and training, and community and leisure activities. Barriers were widespread, often experienced across multiple domains, and commonly perceived to have moderate-to-large impacts on wellbeing. Sensory environments were the most frequently endorsed barrier type. Reflexive thematic analysis of 998 open-text responses generated four themes: environments were actively hostile to autistic needs; services were available but not always accessible; access depended on whether people understood autistic needs; and repeated inaccessibility narrowed everyday life. Improving wellbeing and participation for autistic people and their families requires services, systems, and communities to take responsibility for accessibility.

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