Establishing a baseline for disabled travel through inclusive design research

Air travel is often stressful and poorly understood for disabled people. Airlines invest in accessibility, but rarely with reliable baseline data grounded in disabled people's own lived experience.

This talk shares findings from a mixed-method design research project with Air New Zealand, led through a disability rights and participatory lens to establish a baseline understanding of disabled travel on the trans-Tasman route. Drawing on surveys, interviews, ethnographic research with 12 disabled travellers, and a disability leadership workshop, the study covered the end-to-end journey: booking, check-in, security, boarding, in-flight, arrival, and recovery. Rather than treating accessibility as isolated problems, it examined how systems, policies, staff practices, digital touchpoints, and attitudes combine to either enable or restrict safe, dignified travel.

By treating disabled people as experts in their own experience, the research challenges deficit-based accessibility models and offers a replicable approach for designers and organisations working in complex service systems.

Bio: Chandra Harrison, PhD, is a design researcher and accessibility specialist based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. As Managing Director of Access Advisors, she leads disability-focused research that uses lived experience and participatory methods. Her applied research helps improve understanding and inclusion. She has published research in books and journals and has presented work at conferences around the world in many different areas from appliance design to human computer interaction.

Agenda
5:00pm • Doors open, networking + refreshments
5:30pm • Presentation starts
6:30pm • More networking
7:00pm • Event close

A big thank you to MadeCurious for providing the event space for us to meet - if you’re interested in what they do, check out their LinkedIn page.

MadeCurious HQ information:

• We have x2 mobility car parks available and wheelchair access into the building
• If you have any accessibility needs, please let us know so we can make sure to cater for them
• Limited car parking will be available onsite (MadeCurious. labelled signs) and ample street parking close by the office
• There is a bike shed at the back of the parking lot where you can park your bicycle.

We have a limited capacity, so please only RSVP if you can definitely make it.