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The UK’s Active Travel Academy is calling for papers to feature in the ‘Disability and Cycling’ Special Issue of its Active Travel Studies Journal.
Active Travel Studies is a peer-reviewed journal supported by the University of Westminster which aims to bridge active travel academia with practice and implementation.
Alongside UK charity Wheels for Wellbeing, the Call for Papers welcomes international and multi-disciplinary contributions to inform four research areas related to cycling and disabilities.
“We want to grow the body of research that exists around disability and cycling and extend the body of what is considered research to include non-academics recognising disabled people as experts of experience,” Harrie Larrington-Spencer, a Research Fellow in the Active Travel Academy at the University of Westminster and Guest Editor leading the Special Issue, told Zag Daily.
“We need to ensure we know more about disability and cycling, whether policy, practice, infrastructure, or experiences in order to make sure that active travel futures are inclusive of the needs of diverse disabled people.”
The four priority areas that will inform the Special Issue include research into conflicting access needs, such as how new cycling infrastructure impacts disabled people walking or wheeling.
Another priority area will be to evaluate how active travel interventions can increase the rates of cycling amongst disabled people. The health and wellbeing benefits of cycling for disabled people will also be explored, as well as the intersections between disability and cycling with other areas of an individual’s identity such as their gender, ethnicity or income.
Research pieces according to these four themes are welcomed, as well as non-traditional, non-academic pieces around lived experiences, analysis of secondary data and policy reflections.
Those interested in contributing should email the Active Travel Academy by the 31st January 2025 with an abstract, format and length of their paper, author details, and how their piece will contribute to the four research areas. Once submissions are finalised, the Active Travel Academy is aiming to publish the Special Issue within nine to 12 months.
The aim of the Active Travel Studies Journal is to appeal to academics, policymakers and activists.
“We hope that a special issue on disability and cycling will provide greater insights into the experiences, needs, and challenges that disabled people face when trying to be active.”
