Call for Papers – Special Issue – Disability and Cycling

Posted by Victoria Burgher on 2025-01-08

Disabled people cycle, although data indicates to a lesser extent than non-disabled people. And whilst the research ecosystem around cycling more broadly is burgeoning, research specifically upon disability and cycling remains limited. This matters as an absence of knowledge and research about disabled people who cycle means disabled people remain invisible and excluded from policy and debate. Reflecting on this, we have, through collaboration with disabled people who cycle, identified four priority research areas for researchers who wish to contribute to and develop their work around these. We welcome international contributions as well as contributions from across disciplines.

Submitted articles do not have to conform to a traditional academic format, we welcome non-traditional pieces such as descriptions of lived experience, auto-ethnography, discussions, analysis of secondary datasets, and policy reflection. The contributions should align with the following four priority research areas:

1. Research into conflicting access needs or access frictions. For example, impact of cycling infrastructure on disabled people walking and wheeling.

2. Evaluation of active travel interventions to understand how effective they are in increasing the numbers of disabled people cycling.

3. Health and wellbeing benefits of cycling for disabled people.

4. How disability and cycling intersect with other parts of someone’s identity. For example, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender, income, family life.

If you are interested in contributing a paper to the proposed special issue of Active Travel Studies, please send the following to Harrie Larrington-Spencer and Faye Shortland on h.larringtonspencer@westminster.ac.uk and f.shortland@westminster.ac.uk by the 31/01/2025.

· 200-word abstract

· Your chosen format and length (e.g. traditional paper format, commentary, discussion)

· Author/s details

· Two sentences on the specific contribution your paper makes to the priority research areas listed above

If you have any queries or questions do not hesitate to contact either Harrie Larrington-Spencer or Faye Shortland, contact details listed below.

Dr. Harrie Larrington-Spencer, University of Westminster - h.larringtonspencer@westminster.ac.uk Dr. Faye Shortland, University of Westminster – f.shortland@westminster.ac.uk