THE LEISURE EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

This article describes leisure practices and experiences of disabled youth, understanding leisure as a field of human development and a universal right, with particular emphasis in the importance of leisure experiences as an instigator for full development and in youth as an evolutionary period essential to build and assemble full development of individuals. Spain is possibly the country with a higher amount of studies on youth in Europe, with a multitude of research (Ortega, Lazcano & Manuel, 2015) analyzing social reality regarding leisure of youth, although the number declines when the focus tilts towards disabled youth (Doistua, Lazcano & Madariaga, 2011; Madariaga & Lazcano, 2014). Results focusing on this topic show that disabled youth, as the rest of youth population, value leisure as an important part of life, as a vital space suited for the creation of new friendships and as sphere for personal development. This article also reveals the need to develop leisure strategies which enable the promotion of fulfilling experiences and participation of disabled youth in the range of leisure opportunities. We describe leisure experiences of several groups of youth with different disabilities (hearing, physical, intellectual and visual disability). The aims of this research are: (a) identify and establish typologies of the most significant leisure practices practiced by disabled youth regarding different fields of leisure (culture, tourism, sports, entertainment and others) and, (b) describe leisure experiences of disabled youth according to their opinions, preferences, motivations and values.