Mobility, community participation, and health of persons with disabilities in Switzerland: a national mixed-method study (MOBILE)

Background

Persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions often encounter obstacles in daily life that limit their community participation and restrict access to various places. These limitations, which are often caused by environmental barriers, affect not only their mobility but also their community participation, their well-being, and their health. Mobility is a key factor for community participation and health. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies examining the community participation of persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions—particularly with regard to their mobility and health, their satisfaction with community participation, and their level of community participation compared to persons without disabilities and/or chronic conditions.

In addition, transport services are often unavailable and/or not accessible to everyone, which represents an additional barrier. Despite the goal of making public transport services and infrastructure in Switzerland fully accessible by the end of 2023, these objectives have not yet been achieved. It is therefore in the public interest to develop policy strategies to overcome the disadvantages faced by persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions and to promote their full participation.

Objectives

The overarching aim of this project is to gain insights into the mobility, community participation, and health of persons with and without disabilities and/or chronic conditions in Switzerland, and to develop policy options based on these findings. Specifically, we aim to:

• determine whether persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions visit places that are important to them less frequently and use a smaller variety of transport modes compared to persons without disabilities.
• investigate whether persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions report lower levels of perceived community participation, lower satisfaction with their community participation, and lower self-rated quality of life compared to persons without disabilities.
• examine to what extent perceived community participation and satisfaction with community participation among persons with and without disabilities and/or chronic conditions are associated with how frequently they visit important places and use different modes of transport.
• explore and describe the importance of community participation and visiting important places for persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions.
• identify facilitators and barriers that support or hinder visiting important places for community participation.
• give persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions a voice regarding their transport and mobility needs.
• develop and validate policy options tailored to the Swiss context, based on the findings, to improve community participation for persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions according to their needs.

Methods and Approach

The project team collects the perspectives of persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions across the German-, French-, and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland.

Study participants are persons with disabilities aged 18 years or older.

Data collection is conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods: narrative interviews, Photovoice, and a nationwide survey using the questionnaire “Participation in Activities Outside Home” (ACT-OUT), the European measure of quality of life and health (EuroQoL-5D), and other questionnaires related to the mobility of persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions.

Data analysis is carried out according to the respective qualitative and quantitative study designs and depending on the type and distribution of the data.

Expected Results

From this project, we expect to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions regarding their mobility, community participation, and health. In addition, identifying barriers and facilitating factors will provide valuable insights into necessary environmental adaptations. Finally, the developed policy options are intended to serve as a basis for reducing environmental barriers and improving accessibility for all persons.

Current Status

• Qualitative Interviews

Over a period of twelve months, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions. The interviews took place both in participants’ homes and while on the move, aiming to capture everyday mobility-related experiences. The underlying meaning of community participation in relation to mobility was examined.

A total of 25 individuals with different disabilities and/or chronic conditions from various regions of Switzerland participated in the study. Initial results from the reflexive thematic analysis indicate that mobility and community participation are often shaped by complex dependencies. These include the need for external support, understanding by others, and the availability of accessible infrastructure.

• Narrative Analysis

In addition, an in-depth narrative analysis was conducted using a subsample of three interviews from the Swiss study. The same interview method was also applied to three individuals with disabilities and/or chronic conditions in South Africa. The aim of this analysis was to compare mobility-related experiences across two different social, spatial, and infrastructural contexts.

• Nationwide Survey

The nationwide online survey will be completed by the end of April 2026. The aim is to systematically examine differences between persons with and without disabilities and/or chronic conditions regarding mobility-related characteristics. Data collected include the frequency of visits to key everyday locations, the diversity of transport modes used, and subjective assessments of community participation and quality of life in relation to mobility. The data will be analyzed quantitatively.

• Photovoice Study

The Photovoice study will be conducted from autumn 2026 to spring 2027 in two regions of Switzerland. Persons with disabilities and/or chronic conditions will be invited to document their everyday mobility and community participation experiences through photography.

During moderated focus group sessions, participants will discuss their photographs, develop shared narratives, and plan a public photo exhibition. Initial analyses highlight the complexity and context-dependence of mobility-related experiences. In addition to substantive findings, the study also provides in-depth methodological insights into the application and further development of the Photovoice method, which will be systematically addressed in subsequent analysis steps.

The results are updated regularly.