Lived leisure experiences of young adults with physical disabilities in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived leisure experiences of young adults with physical disabilities. The researchers used a qualitative descriptive exploratory design to gather data from twelve young adults with physical disabilities aged 19–31 years. Purposeful sampling allowed the researchers to recruit participants from two centers providing services for people with disabilities. Young adults with physical disabilities completed a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was used to examine data and present findings. Participant comments clustered into five main themes including: (a) Perceived Meaning of Recreation and Leisure Opportunities, (b) Value of Leisure and Recreation Participation, (c) Limited Accessible Recreation and Leisure Spaces and Services, (d) Marginalization and Stigma Challenges to Leisure and Recreation, and (e) Recommendations for Leisure and Recreation Opportunities. Findings support the importance of raising awareness concerning the value of leisure pursuits for young adults with physical disabilities and the need to remove barriers to meaningful leisure participation.