Enabling self-determination through transformative service design and digital technologies: studying mobility experiences of people with disability

People with disabilities face many barriers for active participation in the workforce. One of the major obstacles that impact access to employment opportunities is mobility-related issues. Commuting to work and being able to navigate physical barriers is a crucial skill for people with physical disabilities to gain and maintain employment, as well as to exercise their self-determination. The evolution of digital technologies and the offerings of services online can facilitate journeys to work by enabling self-determination strategies to empower people in their everyday mobility dependent activities. However, difficulties often occur during self-directed interactions because of fragmented and disconnected information, causing service users to have little control over their journeys, which can negatively impact their wellbeing. This paper reports research that takes a transformative service design approach to identify areas where design can improve the interaction between people and digital technologies to enable selfdetermination of users in the context of planning and undertaking journeys to work. We present findings from eight critical incident-style interviews with people living with mobilityrelated impairments, highlighting barriers and enabling strategies that impact their selfdetermination in the context of journeys and how digital platforms assisted them in these situations. Five areas for design interventions are identified: planning and decision making, transport options, technology, policy and standards, and communication. These findings are indicative of key areas where service design can unlock the potential of digital technologies and play a transformative role in enabling self-determination for people with disabilities in their daily journeys to work.