Assessing disability rights in four Asian countries: The perspectives of disabled people on physical, attitudinal and cultural barriers

Abstract

Geographers have connected the experiences of disabled persons with specific socio-spatial-political phenomena such as disability policies and laws, economic conditions, disability movements, and welfare systems. However, debates over disability theories and accessibility rights have lacked empirical data representing the perspectives of disabled people in Asia. In this study, the first to explore experiences with accessibility in an inter-Asian context, the daily experiences of disabled people in two Southeast Asian countries (Thailand and Vietnam) and two Northeast Asian countries (Japan and Taiwan) were compared. In each country, 10 wheelchair- or crutch-using residents of a large city were invited to be interviewed, of whom 39 participated. Results showed that disabled people's daily experiences are influenced by the cultural and historical contexts in which the concept of disability has been constructed. Attitudinal and cultural barriers to accessibility should be further examined, and Asian contexts should be included in the political geography of disability.