Services, systems, and policies affecting community mobility for people with mobility impairments in Northern Iceland: An occupational perspective

Abstract

Background: Services, systems, and policies can affect what people do, including community mobility (CM), or the act of moving around within the community. People with mobility impairments meet various challenges to CM as the environment does not always accommodate their needs.Aim: To explore, through an occupational lens, how services, systems, and policies can restrict or support CM for people with mobility impairments.Methods: As the first phase of an exploratory case study, focus group interviews were conducted with two different groups: users of mobility devices, living in the town of Akureyri, Iceland, and people who have experience of providing or planning services for disabled people in the same area.Results: Five themes, “Being mobile: A key to meaningful occupations”, “Users as agents in their own lives”, “Means of transportation”, “Accessibility awareness”, and “Integration of services and systems”, identify important aspects that need to be addressed to better support CM.Conclusion: The findings suggest the need to further explore transportation service, personal assistance, and infrastructure services affecting accessibility; alongside the importance of incorporating occupational justice and rights values into policy implementation.