Journal Article (peer-reviewed).
Following my tutorial, I wanted to begin exploring the relationship between travel and neurodiversity through academic research. Although I had already developed a strong understanding of the neurodiversity paradigm through previous readings, I realised that I knew very little about how these ideas had been explored within the context of travel and tourism. Rather than immediately searching for design opportunities, I wanted to understand whether this intersection had already been researched and what existing gaps might exist. This paper became my first introduction to the field of neurodiversity and tourism.
One of the first things that stood out to me was the authors' argument that neurodiversity has received relatively little attention in tourism research, despite its increasing recognition in other disciplines. They suggest that travel and tourism have traditionally focused on physical accessibility, with far less consideration given to cognitive, sensory, and neurological differences. This immediately resonated with me. Before reading the paper, I had subconsciously associated accessible travel with wheelchair access, mobility, and physical impairments. I had not considered how invisible disabilities and neurodivergent experiences may require entirely different forms of accessibility. This shifted my understanding of accessibility itself. Rather than viewing accessibility as simply removing physical barriers, I began to think about how travel experiences could be designed to reduce cognitive load, sensory overwhelm, uncertainty, and anxiety.
Throughout the paper, several recurring themes emerged that felt particularly relevant to my own interests. The authors discuss how many travel environments are inherently unpredictable, involving unfamiliar places, changing routines, crowded transport systems, complex navigation, and high levels of sensory stimulation. While these experiences can be exciting for many travellers, they may present significant barriers for some neurodivergent individuals. Reading this made me question whether the challenges experienced during travel are always caused by neurodivergence itself, or whether they are often created by environments that have not been designed with different ways of thinking and processing information in mind. This closely aligns with the neurodiversity paradigm explored in previous readings, in which disability is often understood as arising from interactions between people and their environments rather than existing solely within the individual.
This paper has reinforced my decision to move my project away from exploring neurodiversity in isolation and to investigate its relationship with travel instead. Rather than immediately designing a product or service, it is important to understand the broader systems that underpin tourism, transport, accommodation, navigation, and travel planning. This broader understanding should allow any future design decisions to be informed by existing research rather than assumptions. The paper also highlighted several areas that I would like to investigate further, including sensory experiences within airports, independent travel, social interaction whilst travelling, and the role of accessible service design within tourism.