All Aboard: Teaching our Children on the Autism Spectrum to use Conventional Public Transit
Date
2021-03-29
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Abstract
Most of us take for granted the role transportation plays in our everyday lives. We have, at our disposal, access to numerous options that allow us to seamlessly navigate the environments in which we live, work and play. For individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) however, lack of transportation presents a significant obstacle to employment opportunities, community inclusion and self-determination. The majority of the population on the spectrum do not drive their own vehicle and while public transportation is a compelling option, accessing conventional transit is far from straightforward. Using a design thinking approach and drawing on perspectives of professionals and parents, this doctoral study seeks to explore how a better understanding of the behaviors and values of those directly involved with transportation outcomes for people on the autism spectrum might inform conventional public transit access for that population. The Design Council’s Framework for Innovation serves to guide the project from discovery (through which the problem is more deeply understood) to definition (through which insight gathered from the discovery phase is used to define the design challenge). An initial framework of five areas of need is developed which represents the problem space around conventional public transit access for youth on the autism spectrum. The design challenge is articulated in a design brief and illustrated through design inspiration, the purpose of which is to foster an understanding of the problem and inform parameters for the development of one or more physical or social interventions.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), design thinking, accessibility, public transit
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Keywords
Design thinking, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Accessibility
Citation
Lagore, S. H. (2021). All Aboard: Teaching our Children on the Autism Spectrum to use Conventional Public Transit (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.