Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Hannah Dudney is a master’s candidate at Vancouver Island University in the MA Sustainable Leisure Management Program. Using her passion for social wellbeing, travelling, and outdoor recreation, her thesis work will contribute to a more complex and sustainable form of accessible nature-based tourism for people with disabilities.

Abstract (150 Words)

As one of the largest minority groups in the world, people with disabilities are largely underrepresented in conversations regarding tourism policy. A large proportion of this demographic have mobility-related physical disabilities (PwMDs), therefore highlighting the importance of including PwMDs in discussions of visitor experience. Important forms of tourism in Canada, specifically in British Columbia (BC), include provincial and national parks. In the recent age of park crowding and over visitation, crowded BC parks have become a widespread concern. Although measurements of social carrying capacity attempt to quantify at what point visitor experience diminishes, there has been no focus on the perspectives of PwMDs. Using in-situ, semi-structured interviews in parks on Vancouver Island, BC, this study will satisfy a critical academic gap within topics of tourism crowding and capacity. Interview response themes will suggest solutions for park management and encourage future research that investigates topics concerning quality park experiences for PwMDs.

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Social Sustainability in Crowded Parks: Carrying Capacity for People with Mobility-Related Disabilities

As one of the largest minority groups in the world, people with disabilities are largely underrepresented in conversations regarding tourism policy. A large proportion of this demographic have mobility-related physical disabilities (PwMDs), therefore highlighting the importance of including PwMDs in discussions of visitor experience. Important forms of tourism in Canada, specifically in British Columbia (BC), include provincial and national parks. In the recent age of park crowding and over visitation, crowded BC parks have become a widespread concern. Although measurements of social carrying capacity attempt to quantify at what point visitor experience diminishes, there has been no focus on the perspectives of PwMDs. Using in-situ, semi-structured interviews in parks on Vancouver Island, BC, this study will satisfy a critical academic gap within topics of tourism crowding and capacity. Interview response themes will suggest solutions for park management and encourage future research that investigates topics concerning quality park experiences for PwMDs.