Examining the Impact of Knowledge Mobilization Strategies to Inform Urban Stakeholders on Accessibility: A Mixed-Methods study.

Delphine Labbé,W Ben Mortenson,Atiya Mahmood,William C Miller

doi:10.3390/ijerph17051561

Abstract

Urban areas offer many opportunities for people with disabilities, but limited accessibility may prevent their full engagement in society. It has been recommended that the experience-based perspective of people with disabilities should be an integral part of the discussion on urban accessibility, complementing other stakeholder expertise to facilitate the design of more inclusive environments. The goals of this mixed-method study were to develop knowledge mobilization (KM) strategies to share experience-based findings on accessibility and evaluate their impact for various urban stakeholders. Using a participatory approach, various KM strategies were developed including videos, a photo exhibit and an interactive game. These strategies were evaluated based on various impact indicators such as reach, usefulness, partnerships and practice changes, using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings suggested that the KM strategies were effective in raising the awareness of various urban stakeholders and providing information and guidance to urban planning practices related to accessibility.

Highlights

Over one billion people live with disability worldwide [1]—15% of whom live in urban areas [2].In Canada, in 2017, 2.7 million people reported living with a mobility disability [3] and 35% lived in large urban municipalities [4]
We developed the evaluation strategies based on The Knowledge Translation Planning Template (KTPT) [39] and the five principles of knowledge mobilization (KM) evaluation described above [34]
Our findings suggest that using various interactive media in the KM strategies was effective to attain the study’s KM goals around urban accessibility and inclusion

Summary

Introduction

Over one billion people live with disability worldwide [1]—15% of whom live in urban areas [2].In Canada, in 2017, 2.7 million people reported living with a mobility disability [3] and 35% lived in large urban municipalities [4]. Urban areas offer a variety of opportunities and services for people living with disabilities, but the lack of accessibility may prevent them from fully engaging in the society [5,6]. Nations Urban Agenda made it a priority in 2017 to promote measures that facilitate equal access to public spaces, facilities, technology, systems, and services for persons with disabilities in urban settings [8]. Policy makers and urban planners have made efforts to increase accessibility in recent decades. Countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia have put in place accessibility related laws and policies to regulate buildings and the public realm.

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion