Simon Darcy | University of Technology Sydney (original) (raw)

Books by Simon Darcy

More and more tourist destinations all over Europe and the world have chosen the Design for All a... more More and more tourist destinations all over Europe and the world have chosen the Design for All approach for optimising the available services. The outcomes seem to be positive enough to encourage them to follow that approach further as described in the case studies presented in ECA 2017.
The 10 case studies are from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, Spain and Australia.

Research can be a challenging but rewarding activity. All degree-level students studying sport, a... more Research can be a challenging but rewarding activity. All degree-level students studying sport, and all effective professionals working in the sport sector need to have a sound understanding of research methods and how to critically interpret research findings. This broad-ranging, in-depth and practical textbook introduces research methods for students on sport-related degree courses, outlining the knowledge and practical skills needed to undertake meaningful research and to become a knowledgeable consumer of the research of others.

"Australian Leisure 4e provides an introduction to and analysis of a broadly defined concept of l... more "Australian Leisure 4e provides an introduction to and analysis of a broadly defined concept of leisure. It integrates Australian and international knowledge so that the book is an Australian interpretation, based largely on local sources, but which engages with relevant international research and theory. This edition has been extensively reviewed and updated and includes new chapters on social networks, global cultures and events.

Leisure is not just sport, or the arts, or outdoor recreation, it is all these things and more, including tourism, gambling, hobbies, television watching, entertainment, play and doing nothing in particular.

The purpose of the text is to illuminate leisure and its place in past, present and future Australian society. The text is designed to lead students into the subject and provide pointers to more detailed study, through discussion questions and guides to further reading."

Preface
Contributors

PART I INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY

1. This thing called leisure
2. Historical perspectives

PART II STUDYING LEISURE
3. Studying leisure
4. Contemporary patterns of Australian leisure
5. Providers in the mixed economy of leisure

PART III LEISURE SECTORS AND FORMS
6. At home at leisure
7. Social media and leisure
8. Arts and culture
9. Sport
10. Outdoor recreation
11. Tourism
12. Special events
13. Leisure and health
14. ‘Deviant’ leisure

PART IV LEISURE AND DIVERSITY
15. Human rights, disability and leisure
16. Leisure and Aboriginal culture from Federation
17. Global cultures and ethnicity
18. Gender and sexuality
19. Leisure, youth and ageing

PART V LEISURE AND THE FUTURE
20. Working in leisure
21. Leisure and the future

Index

"Summary Inclusion disability, an ageing population and tourism are increasingly important areas... more "Summary
Inclusion disability, an ageing population and tourism are increasingly important areas of study due to their implications for both tourism demand and supply. This book therefore sets out to explore and document the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues in the study of accessible tourism. In drawing together the contributions to this volume the editors have applied broader social constructionist approaches to understanding the accessible tourism phenomena. Accessible tourism, as with any area of academic study is an evolving field of academic research and industry practice. As with other areas of tourism, the field is multidisciplinary, and is influenced by various disciplines including geography, disability studies, economics, public policy, psychology and marketing.

Key Features:
- First book to address accessible tourism and cover inclusion, disability, ageing population, inclusive design and tourism
- Explores and documents the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues in the study of accessible tourism
- Adopts a multidisciplinary approach with influences from geography, disability studies, economics, public policy, psychology, social psychology, organisational management, postmodern cultural studies, marketing, architecture and international development

Review:
As one would expect from two scholars at the height of their academic abilities, Dimitrios Buhalis and Simon Darcy have delivered a hugely timely and much needed contribution to the under-served area of accessible tourism. Harnessing the best conceptual developments on the topic, Accessible Tourism is a scholarly yet hugely readable collection and readily communicates the various contributors’ passion for and command of their subject. This collection is a must have text for anyone engaged in the theory, practice and policy of accessible tourism and will be essential reading on undergraduate and postgraduate courses across a range of disciplines and fields. I cannot speak highly enough of this endeavour and I’m sure it will take accessible tourism and universal design debates into the mainstream of academic enquiry and industry practice.
Professor Nigel Morgan, The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

Author Biographies:
Dimitrios Buhalis is an innovative tourism and hospitality researcher, teacher and adviser who conceptualises technology- enabled strategic management and marketing solutions on a global scale. He is Established Chair in Tourism and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR) at the School of Services Management, Bournemouth University and Professorial Observer at the Bournemouth University Senate.

Simon Darcy is an experienced mixed methods researcher, lecturer and mentor who seeks to bring about strategic organisational change for diversity groups. His expertise in environmental planning, access auditing and operational planning has been used across the events, sport and tourism sectors to effect change for inclusive customer and employee practices. He is an Associate Professor and Research Director in the University of Technology Sydney's Business School where he is a core member of the Cosmopolitan Civil Societies research strength.

Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional, Undergraduate"

"Summary This book brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform... more "Summary
This book brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform and stimulate providers of travel, transport, accommodation, leisure and tourism services to serve guests with disabilities, seniors and the wider markets that require good accessibility. Selected country reports, detailed case studies and technical guidance from leading experts provide an essential resource for academics and practitioners.

Key features
- Provides Best Practice in Accessible Tourism from a global pespective - Explores a range of approaches to delivering accessible tourism from the perspectives of policy-making, professional and stakeholder networking, market diversity, destination management and the experience economy; - Contains chapters by leading experts with state-of-the-art guidance for the development of accessible tourism infrastructure, transport and services; - Draws together examples of best practice encompassing policies, projects and partnerships in and between the public, private and NGO sewctors , demonstrating the added value of holistic, evidence-based solutions.

Review:
In 25 chapters, Best Practice in Accessible Tourism provides a ‘state-of-the-art” assessment of both theory and practice. This book establishes a new field of study and provides the benchmark against which other contributions will be judged. It integrates the work of all the key players and should be read by academics, managers and government policy makers.
Noel Scott, University of Queensland, Australia

The editors have assembled an excellent compilation of thought provoking, cutting edge international chapters on "Best Practice in Accessible Tourism". The text provides important insights into current practices and policies, but also critically reflects on what more needs to be done. This timely work is a must read for practitioners, policy makers and academics.
David J. Telfer, Brock University, Canada

Author Biography:
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is a Strategic Management and Marketing expert with specialisation in Technology and Tourism at Bournemouth University. Professor Buhalis is leading eTourism research and he is a Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism and the President of the International Federation for Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT).; Dr

Simon Darcy is an Associate Professor in Events, Sport and Tourism at the UTS Business School - University of Technology, Sydney. Simon’s research and teaching expertise is in sport, tourism and diversity management. He currently holds research grants investigating organisational responses to accessible tourism, sports management practices and protected area visitor management systems.;

Ivor Ambrose is the Managing Director and co-founder of ENAT, the European Network for Accessible Tourism. He has worked for over 30 years as a researcher, project manager, development and policy advisor in the fields of building design and evaluation, public housing, accessibility and assistive technologies for disabled and elderly people, accessible tourism and information systems.

Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional, Undergraduate
"

BENCHMARK GAMES: The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Richard Cashman and Simon Darcy With a Foreword... more BENCHMARK GAMES:
The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games
Richard Cashman and Simon Darcy
With a Foreword by Karen Tighe
Published in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Olympic Studies
Walla Walla Press July 2008
Hardback, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index
ISBN: 978-1-876718-05-3

Benchmark Games is unique as there has been no previous study of an individual Paralympic Games. The book documents and analyses the new benchmarks that were set at the time of the successful Sydney Paralympic Games. Benchmark Games explores many questions about the appeal of the Games to the community and disability sport and the place of the disability community in Australian life.
This book gives a wonderful insight into the background and running of the Sydney Paralympic Games and the legacy it has left (Karen Tighe, Foreword).
CHAPTERS
PART 1: BECHMARKS BEFORE 2000
1. Introduction (Richard Cashman and Simon Darcy)
2. The evolution of the Paralympic Games (Ian Brittain)
3. Paralympic benchmarks before 2000 (Richard Cashman)
PART 2: THE SYDNEY 2000 PARALYMPIC GAMES
4. The benchmark Games (Richard Cashman)
5. Paralympic planning (Simon Darcy)
6. Media and representation (Richard Cashman and Dominique Tremblay)
7. Community (Richard Cashman and Alana Thomson)
8. The delivery of sport (Richard Cashman)
9. Infrastructure (Simon Darcy)
10. The athletes village (Tony Sainsbury)
11. The inclusion and exclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability (Anne Jobling, Ian Jobling and Hayley Fitzgerald)
PART 3: LEGACY
12. Impacts—national and international impacts (Simon Darcy and Richard Cashman)
13. Paralympic research agendas (Simon Darcy and Richard Cashman)
Epilogue

A study was conducted into the tourism patterns and experiences of people with physical disabilit... more A study was conducted into the tourism patterns and experiences of people with physical disabilities in Australia. The research provides the basis for the first comprehensive quantitative study of the tourism patterns and experiences of people with physical disabilities in Australia. The methodology was a questionnaire based self completed postal survey conducted with the cooperation, input and design of people with physical disabilities and organisations who represent people with physical disabilities. The questionnaire was mailed to 8500 members of these organisations with over 2700 completed questionnaires returned. The questionnaire sought information about: domestic, overseas and day trip patterns; satisfaction with current level of travel; constraints and specific requirements for travel; reasons for travel and non travel; and demographic information. The report provides a comprehensive examination of the findings and suggest recommendations to improve the travel experiences of people with disabilities in Australia.

Papers - Journals & Book Chapters by Simon Darcy

Website accessibility in the tourism industry: an analysis of official national tourism organization websites around the world

Disability & Rehabilitation, 2017

Purpose: To analyze the accessibility of official national tourism organization websites of count... more Purpose: To analyze the accessibility of official national tourism organization websites of countries around the world, in order to establish possible common patterns and rankings of those with exemplary practice through to those with the highest number of issues. The purpose for undertaking such an analysis is to provide a quasi-indicator of inclusive organizational practice for online accessibility for both destination managers and their accessible tourism consumers – domestic and overseas people with disability visiting the websites.

Method: The official tourism websites of 210 countries included in the latest World Tourism Organization report were analyzed. A website accessibility evaluation tool (website accessible test) was used in the analysis, according to AA and AAA levels of conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 requirements.

Results: Different patterns compliance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 were established for the clusters, which were rather similar for both AA and AAA conformance levels. The main issues in the least accessible websites were also identified, mainly focused on the following guidelines: navigable, compatible, adaptability, text alternatives and also referred to other assistive technologies.

Conclusions: Once the main issues were established several alternatives are suggested to address them, such as implementing more prescriptive laws and regulations, complying with mandatory benchmark standards and/or having external agencies audit website designs. However, in addition to using benchmark standards, efforts to improve this situation should also be made by programmers, who should also rely on preexistent experiences and develop more dynamic knowledge. This knowledge may include text alternatives for any nontext content; creation of content that can be presented in different ways without losing information; provide ways to help users navigate, find content, determine where they are and navigate websites to maximize compatibility with assistive technologies and user agents.

Implications for rehabilitation
Access to information – in this case, online information – is an important factor in the process of rehabilitation for people with disability and those supporting them.

Failure to apply homogeneous criteria for website accessibility around the world can hamper access to information by people with disabilities.

Travel planning requires access to mainstream tourist distribution networks where online inclusive practice is a precursor to information searching.

Documents for destination managers and programmers the main problems of accessibility to websites and examples of models or solutions to follow and not.

Establish the main inclusive website design criteria on which to focus on improving the access of people with disabilities to websites (e.g., text alternatives, content presented in different ways, navigating and improving compatibility with assistive technologies etc.).

Tourism Recreation Research Socially sustainable ethnic tourism: a comparative study of two Hakka communities in China

Tourism Recreation Research, 2017

Ethnic tourism is a catalyst for economic and sociocultural development in many countries. Howeve... more Ethnic tourism is a catalyst for economic and sociocultural development in many countries. However, ethnic tourism development has given rise to many challenges associated with the sustainable development of ethnic regions within different cultural contexts. This paper addresses the social aspect of sustainable ethnic tourism through comparative case studies of two ethnic Hakka tourism destinations, Nanyuan and Sujiawei villages in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, China. The comparative case-study research design included in-depth interviews, document analysis and a household study in each case-study village. The comparative case study provides insights into factors contributing to socially sustainable ethnic tourism in China, including levels of community involvement, control of the tourism ‘product’, the benefits accruing to the ethnic community, perceived inconveniences/externalities and authenticity considerations. This study contributes to a better understanding of socially sustainable ethnic tourism in a Chinese context, and has practical implications for ethnic tourism destination marketing, management and policy-making.

Volunteers with Disabilities at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Who, Why and When will they do it again?

Event Management, 2017

People with disabilities are often the recipients of volunteer services but are rarely considered... more People with disabilities are often the recipients of volunteer services but are rarely considered as a potential volunteer resource, such as in sport events where volunteers are an essential component of major sport event operation and legacy potential. For London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, there was a determined effort by the Organizing Committee to recruit people with disabilities to be Games Makers (i.e., volunteers). This exploratory research investigated 786 London 2012 volunteers who self-identified as having disability or access needs. The research design involved an
online questionnaire examining their motivations for volunteering, their experiences, their likelihood to continue volunteering, and their sociodemographic profile. This article contributes to the literature by examining the motivations of people with disability volunteering at a mega-sport event, as this has not been done previously. The factor analysis identified eight components: transactional; altruistic; it’s all about the games; volunteering community; rewards; availability; variety; and application.
The solution highlighted the duality of human capital-related transactional components where the individual wanted to improve their skills and the altruistic components of giving back and it’s all about the games experience. The discussion examined these components in comparison to other mega-event volunteers to examine commonalities and contrasts.

A Tri-Method Approach to a review of Adventure Tourism Literature: Bibliometric Analysis, content Analysis, and a Quantitative systematic Literature review

International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 2017

This article provides an objective, systematic, and integrated review of the Western academic lit... more This article provides an objective, systematic, and integrated review of the Western academic literature on adventure tourism to discover the theoretical foundations and key themes underlying the field by combining three complementary approaches of bibliometric analysis, content analysis, and a quantitative systematic review. A total of 114 publications on adventure tourism were identified that revealed three broad areas of foci with adventure tourism research: (1) adventure tourism experience, (2) destination planning and development, and (3) adventure tourism operators. Adventure tourism has an intellectual tradition from multiple disciplines, such as the social psychology of sport and recreation. There is an underrepresentation of studies examining non-Western tourists in their own geographic contexts or non-Western tourists in Western geographic contexts. Our findings pave ways for developing a more robust framework and holistic understanding of the adventure tourism field.

The agenda setting power of news media in framing the future role of tourism in protected areas

Tourism Management, 2017

This exploratory paper examines the agenda-setting and framing role of news media in the ongoing ... more This exploratory paper examines the agenda-setting and framing role of news media in the ongoing development of the Draft Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Master Plan. The paper will argue that the publication of the Masterplan and ensuing public commentary has drawn into stark focus future challenges in juxtaposing the frames of public use, commercial tourism and scientific/cultural values in the sustainable management of protected areas. Agenda setting and framing theory provides the theoretical foundation for the paper. Guided by critical discourse analysis, the analysis of the paper is supported through the use of Leximancer and Gephi software for visually illustrating the relationship between different framing perspectives. This paper contributes to a fresh understanding of the complex nature of the sustainable management of protected areas in urban spaces.

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2017

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the event legacy discourse by exploring the nexus betwe... more Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to the event legacy discourse by exploring the nexus between event legacy literature and destination competitiveness by focusing on disability sport events or parasport and addressing an identified gap in the research literature.

Design/methodology/approach
This is achieved through conducting a systematic review of disability sport events literature; performing an audit of international disability sport events; developing a typology of disability sport events; and outlining a research agenda drawing upon these previous steps. The typology is then placed in context to the destination competitiveness framework to provide direction for both host organizing committees and tourism destination managers. The research framework reflects the complexity of disability sport events with specific reference to the social impact of disability sport events for destinations.

Findings
Despite calls for increased research into accessible tourism and events, the potential social legacy for communities and destinations from disability sport or parasport events remains absent from most sport, event and tourism literature. The findings and resultant typology from this study provide an interdisciplinary approach to value add to the disability sport event and destination management sectors. The combined understanding of both sectors creates an opportunity to leverage further events through marketing accessibility as a competitive advantage, seizing opportunity for international and national disability events, and the subsequent event accessible tourism and general accessible tourism that improved destination accessibility provides a host city or precinct.

Research limitations/implications
The disability sport event typology and a research agenda that supports future research are outcomes of this research.

Practical implications
These insights are beneficial to both researchers and practitioners interested in leveraging the opportunities from disability sport events to support sustainable destination development and competitiveness that reflect the needs of a population with diverse access needs, including our ageing population, those with temporary disability and parents with young children.

Originality/value
This research lays the groundwork to support the desired social legacy for future host communities. From a theoretical perspective, given the paucity of research on disability sport, the typology offers a means to evaluate and monitor the impacts of various types of events from the perspectives of sustainable development, tourism, accessibility, community engagement and public policy. The addition of understanding destination competitiveness and the underlying criteria for accessible destination development provides opportunities to further leverage disability sport event beyond the event itself for ongoing accessible events, tourism and disability employment opportunities.

Leisure Sciences, 2017

Framed by a social approach to disability and leisure constraints theory, this paper presents the... more Framed by a social approach to disability and leisure constraints theory, this paper presents the results of a national study examining the constraints to sport participation for people with disability. Responses were obtained from a multi-platform questionnaire survey capturing data on constraints to participation, dimensions of disability, and level of support needs. The Exploratory Factor Analysis identified five structural together with intrapersonal and interpersonal constraint factors. While intrapersonal and interpersonal considerations were found to constrain sport participation and nonparticipation, the five structural factors had the most significant constraining impact on sport participation. The findings showed that disability type and level of support needs explain significant variations in constraints to participation and nonparticipation. When the 2-Way MANOVA included type of disability and level of support needs as contingent independent variables, the level of support needs was the most significant indicator of the likelihood of having constraints to participation or nonparticipation.

Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the use of a mobile technology platform, softw... more Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the use of a mobile technology platform, software customization and technical support services by people with disability. The disability experience is framed through the participants’ use of the technology, their social participation. Method: A qualitative and interpretive research design was employed using a three-stage process of observation and semi-structured interviews of people with disability, a significant other and their service provider. Transcripts were analyzed to examine the research questions through the theoretical framework of PHAATE – Policy, Human, Activity, Assistance and Technology and Environment. Results: The analysis revealed three emergent themes: 1. Engagement and activity; 2. Training, support and customization; and 3. Enablers, barriers and attitudes. Conclusions: The findings indicate that for the majority of users, the mobile technology increased the participants’ communication and social participation. However, this was not true for all members of the pilot with variations due to disability type, support needs and availability of support services. Most participants, significant others and service providers identified improvements in confidence, security, safety and independence of those involved. Yet, the actions and attitudes of some of the significant others and service providers acted as a constraint to the adoption of the technology.

Implications for Rehabilitation

Customized mobile technology can operate as assistive technology providing a distinct benefit in terms of promoting disability citizenship.

Mobile technology used in conjunction with a supportive call centre can lead to improvements in confidence, safety and independence for people experiencing disability.

Training and support are critical in increasing independent use of mobile technology for people with disability.

The enjoyment, development of skills and empowerment gained through the use of mobile technology facilitate the social inclusion of people with disability.

Disability & Society, 2016

Natural data on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website outlining the complaint cases ge... more Natural data on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website outlining the complaint cases generated from Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (DDA) were used to examine the social construction of disability employment discrimination. Using a social model and human rights citizenship lens, some 987 complaint cases were analysed to assess the prevalence of disability discrimination in employment, and its relationship to the types of disability, gender, entity undertaking the actions and organisational context. Of all complaint cases across the Australian Human Rights Commission’s operations, by far the largest proportion involves disability discrimination. Within the disability discrimination complaint cases, employment makes up the greatest proportion of these cases. In examining the patterns of discrimination seven major themes emerged involving: distinctive patterns across disability type; access to premises; human resource mismanagement; selection of new employees; integration of assistive technology; perception of cost of disability inclusions; and inflexible organisational workplace practices. The discussion examines the underlying reasons for the emergent themes where employers misunderstood key legal concepts that underpin the DDA including: unjustifiable hardship; inherent requirements; reasonable adjustment; direct; and indirect discrimination. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings as a way of understanding the social construction of disability discrimination in employment to signal ways to better develop inclusive organisational practice.

The Service Industries Journal, 2016

This paper examines the service dimensions required to be inclusive of people with access needs w... more This paper examines the service dimensions required to be inclusive of people with access needs within a major-sport event context. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities seeks to counter disability discrimination and enable citizenship rights of people with disabilities, including access to goods and services, across all dimensions of social participation including major-sport events (e.g. Olympic and Paralympic Games, world cups in football, cricket and rugby union). Providing for people with disability and access needs is also an emerging tourism focus with initiatives addressing accessible tourism included in the World Tourism Organizations mission and recent strategic destination plans. To enhance the understanding of service delivery for an accessible tourism market in a major-sport event context, a case study of the Vancouver Fan Zone for the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada, 2015 TM is analyzed through the lens of transformative services. From this analysis future research directions are identified to benefit those with access needs who wish to participate in major-sport events.

Disability and Society, 2016

This article explores the use of a mobile technology platform as experienced by people with disab... more This article explores the use of a mobile technology platform as experienced by people with disability, their significant other and service providers. An interpretive qualitative study design was adopted involving observations and interviews. The data were analysed using the combined lenses of the social approach to disability and the PHAATE model which represents the factors for consideration in service design for assistive technology. The findings suggest that the adoption of the technology by those in the study could be characterised by a typology of users. The implications of the typology are discussed together with the influencing factors that affected social participation and disability citizenship.

Journal of the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Research, 2016

This paper is based on an invited seminar to the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Research Group deli... more This paper is based on an invited seminar to the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Research Group delivered in Tokyo August 2015 that was asked to review the Sydney 2000 Paralympic games legacy outcomes as a way of providing reflective learnings for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games. Over the last decade a great deal of work has examined major sport event legacies and event leverage. Much of this work has involved Olympic studies whereas the Paralympic games have been largely overlooked. The Paralympic Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. Since Sydney 2000 there has been an 'operational partnership' where bid cities are required to host both Games. Yet, few studies have evaluated the outcomes, legacies and event leverage that Paralympic games have generated. This paper addresses this absence by presenting legacy frameworks and examining a review of Paralympic legacy research from the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. The seminar is timely in that it has been 50 years since the Tokyo 1964 Paralympics and Tokyo will be again hosting the Paralympics in 2020. The paper presents a background understanding of legacy and legacy frameworks before discussing the research design. The findings are presented using Preuss (2007) cube conceptualisations of legacy that incorporates the dimensions: planned/unplanned; tangible/intangible; and positive/negative. There are four suggested learnings from Sydney 2000 that may prepare Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games to more strategically address legacy. They are: fostering a relationship with the disability community; developing a Research agenda; educating the population about Paralympic sport; and preparing a culturally appropriate campaign to recruit volunteers.

Journal of Tourism Futures , 2015

Purpose – Accessible tourism is evolving as a field of academic research and industry practice, s... more Purpose – Accessible tourism is evolving as a field of academic research and industry practice, set within a dynamic social context. The field is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary. The purpose of this paper is to examine key concepts and global initiatives that will shape accessible tourism futures.
Design/methodology/approach – Three of the authors have extensive academic experience in the area and the fourth author is the Managing Director of the pre-eminent European Network for Accessible Tourism. In taking a limited Delphi approach to canvassing key areas likely to shape accessible tourism futures, the
following concepts and policy initiatives were examined: motivations, dreams and aspirations of people with disability; demography; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; destination competitiveness; universal design (UD); and the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Findings – A discussion of each of the above areas was placed in context to accessible tourism futures and to contextualise the papers that were selected for the special issue. The latter part of the paper outlines the contribution of each empirical paper to the issue discussing the approach, findings and implications. Stakeholder collaboration was identified as the key common theme of the papers and the factor for developing accessible tourism solutions, recognising the value of the market and capitalising on it. A collaborative approach is required to recognise the complementary nature of the different paradigms; to re-shape and transform the future of the accessible tourism industry. To assist in the development of accessible tourism futures, UD principles should provide a foundation to enhance the future competitiveness of tourism destinations and organisations.
Originality/value – The paper’s examination of the concepts and global policy considerations provides a strong academic and practitioner foundation for considering accessible tourism futures. In doing so, accessible tourism futures are shown to be affected by key concepts related to core tourism considerations
and major policy initiatives on accessibility and sustainability. Yet, accessible tourism futures also have the potential to create their own momentum and contribute unique learnings on the diversity of tourism markets that will shape tourism concepts and global policy initiatives in their own right.

Preface
Contributors

PART I INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY

1. This thing called leisure
2. Historical perspectives

PART II STUDYING LEISURE
3. Studying leisure
4. Contemporary patterns of Australian leisure
5. Providers in the mixed economy of leisure

PART V LEISURE AND THE FUTURE
20. Working in leisure
21. Leisure and the future

Index

Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional, Undergraduate"

Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional, Undergraduate
"

Website accessibility in the tourism industry: an analysis of official national tourism organization websites around the world

Disability & Rehabilitation, 2017

Failure to apply homogeneous criteria for website accessibility around the world can hamper access to information by people with disabilities.

Travel planning requires access to mainstream tourist distribution networks where online inclusive practice is a precursor to information searching.

Documents for destination managers and programmers the main problems of accessibility to websites and examples of models or solutions to follow and not.

Tourism Recreation Research Socially sustainable ethnic tourism: a comparative study of two Hakka communities in China

Tourism Recreation Research, 2017

Volunteers with Disabilities at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Who, Why and When will they do it again?

Event Management, 2017

A Tri-Method Approach to a review of Adventure Tourism Literature: Bibliometric Analysis, content Analysis, and a Quantitative systematic Literature review

International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 2017

The agenda setting power of news media in framing the future role of tourism in protected areas

Tourism Management, 2017

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2017

Research limitations/implications
The disability sport event typology and a research agenda that supports future research are outcomes of this research.

Leisure Sciences, 2017

Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 2017

Implications for Rehabilitation

Customized mobile technology can operate as assistive technology providing a distinct benefit in terms of promoting disability citizenship.

Mobile technology used in conjunction with a supportive call centre can lead to improvements in confidence, safety and independence for people experiencing disability.

Training and support are critical in increasing independent use of mobile technology for people with disability.

The enjoyment, development of skills and empowerment gained through the use of mobile technology facilitate the social inclusion of people with disability.

Disability & Society, 2016

The Service Industries Journal, 2016

Disability and Society, 2016

Journal of the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Research, 2016

Journal of Tourism Futures , 2015

Event Management, 2015

Investment in mega-sport events is frequently justified on the basis that there are infrastructur... more Investment in mega-sport events is frequently justified on the basis that there are infrastructure and social legacies that remain after the event. This research explores the claims of a social legacy through a pre- and post-Games survey of volunteers at the Sydney World Masters Games 2009 (SWMG). Through online surveys the research explores pre-and post-volunteer motivations, postevent volunteering intentions before the Games and actual volunteer behavior after the Games. The pre-Games survey supports previous research that a desire to be involved in the event motivates people to volunteer. However, the postevent expression of motivations shifted to a more altruistic focus. The postevent volunteering intentions as indicated in the preevent survey would support the claim of a social legacy; however, this was not supported by the postevent measures of volunteering levels. The use of a pre- and postevent survey has highlighted that the timing of measures of motivations can influence responses and one may not depend on pre-event intentions as an indicator of postevent behaviors.

Tourism Management, 2015

To examine the background of destination competitiveness theories. To identify the factors make a... more To examine the background of destination competitiveness theories. To identify the factors make a destination competitive for the accessible tourism. To show the accessible tourism competitiveness factors adapting the Crouch's model. To formulate an accessible competitiveness factors ranking for Australia and Spain. To define clusters for the Australian and Spanish regions based on accessibility. a b s t r a c t This paper seeks to address the research question of what factors make a destination competitive for the accessible tourism market. The research design is based on destination competitiveness theories. The objective is to formulate a ranking that can compare the competitiveness factors between two countries, with historical and appropriate data sets, in order to examine destination competitiveness for accessible tourism across the tourist regions of both countries. The current research examines the background of destination competitiveness theories, both generally and specifically, as they relate to the research contexts. The research design was developed to examine the underlying elements that facilitate accessible tourism experiences through factorial and cluster analyses, adapting the Crouch's model of competitiveness destination. The findings suggest that the competitiveness factors are different in determinance and importance, and are country-dependent. The climate, locale and tourist structure are the most important for Spain, whereas quality of services, brand and infrastructure are of great importance for Australia. The cluster analysis of the different tourist regions suggests the existence of three main stages. These stages where related to their accessibility level of offered tourism product and their policies.

Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organisations, 2015

Participation in Civil Society Organizations (CSO) draws on and enriches social, cultural, and hu... more Participation in Civil Society Organizations (CSO) draws on and enriches social, cultural, and human capital. Social impacts of such participation as active citizenship are systemic and 'ripple' far beyond the immediate program outputs and outcomes. CSOs and the third sector as a whole must demonstrate and gage the difference they make in the social life of the broader community. This research offers a new approach to conceptualize CSO social impacts through an empirically derived model that accounts for the impacts of active citizenship for individuals, organizations, and the broader community. A conceptual model of systemic social impact is presented as it was developed through an exploratory study of a large Australian CSO using an abductive methodology combining focus groups and a survey. Considering the potential of the model that could account for impacts beyond program outputs and outcomes, we propose several propositions for
future testing the conceptual model.

Event Management, 2014

This article presents an examination of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games' volunteers ... more This article presents an examination of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games' volunteers who identified as having access needs and/or disabilities. The methodology draws upon data collected as part of a larger quantitative mixed method research design through an online survey that included open-ended questions. The quantitative element of the online survey was framed by the Special Event Volunteer Motivation Scale together with sociodemographic questions supplemented by disability and access specific questions. The qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses of the experiences of people with disability was framed using the UK government's Office of Disability Issues (ODI) policy conceptualization of the barriers affecting the access and inclusion of people with disability. A small number of volunteers related feedback consistent with the principles of the ODI best practice through good staff support and overall positive experiences. However, other experiences indicate significant organizational, environmental, and structural issues faced by volunteers with disability in the program. The implications of these findings for future event planning processes and broader macropolicy considerations are discussed.

Sport Management Review, 2014

This paper presents the findings of a study that examines the development of social capital withi... more This paper presents the findings of a study that examines the development of social capital within an Australian sporting organisation, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA). The study draws on the social capital literature across the not-for-profit sector and specific sport management social capital research. The research design incorporated an interpretive approach with data collected nationally from eight focus groups with key SLSA staff, board members and ‘toes in the sand’ volunteers. The findings provide fresh insights into the development and understanding of social capital within a sporting organisation. Both bonding and bridging were important social capital outcomes of the organisation's activities, albeit with important implications for antecedents and process. The data presented strong evidence for arguing that within the organisation bonding within the club comes first, which importantly provides a very strong sense of belonging and mutual support for club members, from volunteers through to the board. The strength of bonding provides a powerful base for subsequent bridging capital to the local, regional and national stakeholder communities that are associated with the organisation. Further, social capital develops in both the collective and individual, with leveraging of individual skills contributing to human capital development, which is closely connected to and inseparable from social capital. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications for social capital generally and social capital in a sporting context.

Sport Management Review, 2014

Disability is a complex multidimensional social construct. In a sporting context, people with a d... more Disability is a complex multidimensional social construct. In a sporting context, people with a disability often face a multitude of barriers to participation in sport and achievement in sport. While other marginalised populations have received attention in the field of sport management, disability has received very little, or been used primarily as a context. This special issue focuses on ‘‘managing disability sport’’ rather than the medical, human performance or sociocultural issues facing people with disability. The collection of papers herein focus on management issues that centre on constraints to sport participation, supply side attributes, participant behaviours, consumption of disability sport, policy implementation, and sponsor congruence. We situate these papers in the context of further challenging researchers to think beyond disability as a context in their research and engage in the critical discussions necessary to advance the agenda of managing disability sport.

'Cultural life', disability, inclusion and citizenship: Moving beyond leisure in isolation

Annals of Leisure Research, 2013

We reside within a global village, with approximately 10% of the world’s population or 650 millio... more We reside within a global village, with approximately 10% of the world’s population
or 650 million people (including about 200 million children) living with some form of
disability (United Nations 2011). This has been estimated to rise to 1.2 billion by
2050 (United Nations 2011). The World Health Organization and the United
Nations have recognized that people with disability have a right to access services
from all areas of citizenship. The purpose of this special issue of Annals of Leisure
Research was to seek contributions examining the inclusion and citizenship of people
with disability in ‘cultural life’, defined by the United Nation’s (2006) Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPWD) to include recreation, leisure, the
arts, sport and tourism. In particular, the issue aimed to:
(1) clarify what the terms inclusion and citizenship mean in different cultures;
(2) place inclusion to and citizenship of ‘cultural life’ across discourses relating
to economic, social and environmental contexts that affect people with
disabilities participation; and
(3) discuss the terms inclusion and citizenship from the ideological frameworks
of government, researchers, providers of service or disability advocacy
groups.

This paper highlights that tourism, due to the fact it is a multi-faceted activity and by implica... more This paper highlights that tourism, due to the fact it is a multi-faceted activity and by implication its management has similar multiple contexts, often leads to the exclusion of many who are part of that tourism context. One area that has been left on the fringes of tourism is how contemporary tourism management has "othered" those regarded as being removed from the neoliberal business foundation of tourism. One such group is the host communities in developing countries. The failure to involve and engage with host communities and develop collaboration in the process of planning and management for tourism is and has in the past been detrimental to the sustainability of tourism. In many cases, host communities have been ignored by the industry, with few or no mechanisms or processes put in place to enable them to participate in the management of tourism. This paper presents an overview of how this engagement of host communities can expand the market for tourism and lead to more satisfying visitor experiences, enhance the sustainability of these experiences and, thus, be considered good management practice within the industry. The paper examines how to engage in these practices and create processes that are both enabling for communities and incorporate research techniques that move beyond the very limited monocultural attempts undertaken by the majority of tourism enterprises today. In widening the involvement of the host community, we turn to mechanisms for engagement to provide a platform to demonstrate how this can be done to provide better management practice. In doing so, we extend the scope of engagement to involve those previously considered to be outside of mainstream tourism enterprises, and present an argument that, if sustainability is to move beyond economic and environmental Western constructs to embrace social sustainability, changing global values require tourism management to adopt more inclusive ways of practice and management principles. Setting a context for Involvement: the "Other" Over the last two decades, as the costs and time required for global travel have decreased dramatically, tourism has been liberated from its former spatial constraints, allowing it to increasingly be a global phenomenon (Harvey 2000). With this has come a need to better understand the terms of engagement between those involved in the exchanges in these spaces to ensure that we understand the more complex arrangements and to ensure benefits from tourism are directed toward all stakeholders. As more and more communities worldwide are trying to connect to global tourism developments, we as researchers identify a need to explore, beyond the earlier ideas of people like Valene Smith in 1977 (Smith 1989), the relationship between "host" and "guests". Whereas in earlier days attention was focused

Extracurricular activities, graduate attributes and serious leisure: competitive sport versus social-cultural clubs in campus life

Leisure Studies

Are we talking the same language? Contestable discourses between university staff accommodating students with disability

Disability & Society

University-based sport and social clubs and their contribution to the development of graduate attributes

Active Learning in Higher Education

An important measure of the success of a tertiary education programme is the attributes that grad... more An important measure of the success of a tertiary education programme is the attributes that graduates possess at the completion of their studies. Universities have sought to address this issue by developing formal curriculum and programmes such as internships and work-integrated learning. However, little is known about how university-based extracurricular activities contribute to graduate attributes. The purpose of this study is to explore participation in extracurricular activities from a student perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 student leaders of university-based sporting, social and academic clubs. Data collection and analysis were guided by a qualitative approach to thematic analysis. The findings indicate that students developed a range of graduate attributes in areas such as such as leadership, teamwork, communication and resilience. The theory, communities of practice, is used to interpret the participants’ experiences which was found to coalesc...

Next Steps in Mega-Sport Event Legacy Research: Insights from a Four Country Volunteer Management Study

Event Management

Mega-sport event legacy research methodologically is dominated by what should be considered singl... more Mega-sport event legacy research methodologically is dominated by what should be considered single case studies often omitting the importance of the socially situated nature of events and tourism. The extant research has often been conducted during, or soon after, an event purporting to be about legacies. Thus, they are more about impacts than the legacy, or what remains. By interrogating the only known database of volunteer responses from four Olympic and Paralympic Games across four countries, this research note demonstrates the next steps that are required to design legacies research that will have methodological, theoretical, and practical significance for host and nonhost communities alike.

Travel Narrator

Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing, 2022

Inclusive Tourism

Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing, 2022

Academics

Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing, 2022

Attributing the Social Contribution of Surf Life Saving Australia: Valuing the Social Capital of an Iconic Institution

Introduction: ‘Cultural life’, disability, inclusion and citizenship: moving beyond leisure in isolation

Access in NSW National Parks: a best practice example of Edward River Bridge’s canoe and kayak launch

A question of time: a brief systematic review and temporal extension of the socioecological framework as applied in sport and physical activity

Translational Sports Medicine, 2020

The dominant socioecological framework (SEF) is informed by Bronfenbrenner's first‐generation... more The dominant socioecological framework (SEF) is informed by Bronfenbrenner's first‐generation SEF and ignoring the more nuanced later versions that highlight the interconnections and temporal realities of sport and physical activity interventions in the real‐world. To explore how SEFs have been used in sport medicine, injury prevention, and sport participation, this article uses a brief review to investigate applications of SEFs to inform the development of a new framework that can be applied in future research and practice. A systematic review of the Web of Science database for the 5‐year period to December 2018 was conducted using keywords related to sport, participation, and injury prevention: “socioecological” AND ((sport* AND injury) OR (sport* AND medicine) OR (sport* AND participation)). Articles were analyzed to explore: country of origin, research themes; sample; methods, the “generation” of the SEF used, and key theorists. Of the 10 articles retained, most were on sport and/or physical activity participation (77%), typically from Belgium (40%) and Australia (30%). All drew upon Bronfenbrenner's first‐generation SEF. These results informed the development of a new and novel temporal extension of the SEF (TESEF) reflecting Bronfenbrenner's third‐generation, ie Process‐Person‐Context‐Time model that is more relevant to a pragmatic, real‐world, research approach going forward.

The Paralympic Games: Managerial and Strategic Directions

Managing the Paralympics, 2017

In 2020 it will be 60 years since the first Paralympic Games in Rome (International Paralympic Co... more In 2020 it will be 60 years since the first Paralympic Games in Rome (International Paralympic Committee 2015a, b). Over that time the Paralympics have grown into the world’s third largest sporting event behind the Olympic Games and Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. Each successive Paralympic Games has made contribution to this growth: introducing new sports, encouraging more countries to attend, increased scope of broadcasting, record ticket sales, and alternative media channels to promote the event and its athletes. From 1960 to 2020 this has led to 11-fold increase in athlete participation, “from less than 400 in 1964 to over 4,250 at London 2012 and a projected 4,350 for Rio 2016” (International Paralympic Committee 2015b). Geographically, those countries represented at the Games have grown from 21 to 164 competing for some 500 medal events up from 144. The number of sports has increased 2½ times from 9 to 23, evolving from an event for wheelchair athletes to numerous activities involving nine different impairment types (International Paralympic Committee 2015b). The summer Paralympics now has a cumulative TV audience of 3.8 billion people and has an increasing presence on social media: at London 2012, for example, some 1.3 million tweets mentioned “Paralympic” (International Paralympic Committee 2015b). Like the Olympics, the focus of these statistics has often been on the summer Paralympics, but there has also been important growth in the winter Paralympic Games (Legg and Gilbert 2011).

Multi-method research on ethnic cultural tourism in Australia

Cultural Tourism Research Methods

Sustainability

Climate clocks are currently ticking down to a point in time when it will be impossible to arrest... more Climate clocks are currently ticking down to a point in time when it will be impossible to arrest the rate of CO2 emissions within the bounds of the parameters set by the Paris Climate Agreement. The tourism academy has been at the forefront of efforts to draw attention to the climate threat and to develop adaptation and mitigation responses in conjunction with industry. However, whilst the tourism academy is generally said to be in lock-step with the urgency of the climate threat and tourism’s need to respond, outliers do exist. Why might a tourism scholar view the urgency of the climate threat differently from his or her colleagues? Drawing on conceptual insights from Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, the present paper explores the sociological framing of time in relation to tourism academics and the implications for the development of a tourism knowledge force-field as a foundation for tourism knowledge creation.

Where are the Indigenous and First Nations people in sport event volunteering? Can you be what you can’t see?

Tourism Recreation Research

Disability and the Arts: Inclusive Practice for Health and Wellbeing

Exploring the Leisure - Health Nexus

Case study: Sydney’s 'Cultural Ribbon' (Australia)

The consumption of culture is one of the most important aspects of tourism activity. Cultural tou... more The consumption of culture is one of the most important aspects of tourism activity. Cultural tourism includes experiencing local culture, traditions and lifestyle, participation in arts-related activities, and visits to museums, monuments and heritage sites. This book reviews a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods applied to the field of cultural tourism, including surveys, mystery tourist visits, visitor tracking, grand tour narratives, collage, researcher-created video, photo-based interviews, ethnographic and actor-network approaches. It provides a practical guide on how to conduct research as well as a discussion and evaluation of the methods.

Paper presented at the ANZAM - reshaping Management for Impact

An oligopoly is a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sel... more An oligopoly is a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sellers (oligopolists). (Wikipedia) Monopsony: a market where a single buyer substantially controls the market as the major purchaser of goods and services. (Wikipedia) Abstract Some parts of the Australian non-profit sector sector has been growing much faster than others and that significant increases in revenue have mainly accrued to a group of large, multi-service, national social service organisations, a group Dalton and Butcher (2014) refer to as " Big Charity ". In various policy domains, Big Charity appears to exert disproportionate influence in various areas of social services provision. In this paper we focus on the emergence of Big Charity and examine the implications for the delivery of services under the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Scheme will is likely to open up a new market but, in the context of the rising market dominance of larger charities, we ask if this will lead to a rationalisation of the sector in favour of larger providers of disability services.