Mobilisation and the Disability Rights Movement: The Realities of Public Transport in Bangkok

Many disabled people in Thailand face exclusion from education, employment and wider participation in society. This is exacerbated by a persistence of medical model thinking in society and lack of mobility of disabled people. Many of the public transport systems in Bangkok lack accessibility and despite campaigning by disability rights activists progress has been slow. The research explores disabled user perspectives on the physical and non-physical accessibility of public transport in Bangkok. Barriers and enablers to travel using these systems are revealed through focus groups with disabled people and carers. Secondly, the campaign to improve accessibility of public transport is examined through in-depth interviews with activists, academics and members of the Thai government. The findings show that service provider attitudes can result in barriers and enablers to travel for disabled passengers that counteract or enhance the mechanisms to equalise access for disabled people. Additionally, the campaign to improve public transport is impeded by issues mobilising disability associations and disabled individuals that stem from Thai socio-cultural conceptualisations of disability and interactions within the societal hierarchy. Further research is needed on encouraging participation in and of the disability rights movement and how to improve attitudes towards disability of public service providers.