After completing my initial reading around neurodiversity and autism, I wanted to step back and make sense of the ideas that I kept returning to. Rather than continuing to collect papers, it was important to map out the concepts that had captured my interest and explore how they related to one another. This exercise allowed me to move away from thinking about individual research papers and instead begin identifying the wider theoretical conversations surrounding autism and international travel.

At the beginning of this project, I expected my research to focus primarily on the practical barriers autistic people experience while travelling. However, as I continued reading, I became increasingly interested in the theories and philosophies underpinning these experiences. I realised that I was less interested in simply identifying problems and more in understanding why they exist and how different theoretical perspectives explain them.

Creating this research map highlighted several key themes that are beginning to shape my thinking. The Neurodiversity Paradigm remains the concept that interests me most, particularly its emphasis on viewing neurological differences as a natural form of human diversity rather than as something that needs to be corrected. This naturally led me towards the Social Model of Disability, encouraging me to question whether many of the barriers experienced by autistic travellers are created by tourism systems and environments rather than by autism itself.

Alongside this, I began exploring wider tourism theories, including travel as a human right, neuro-inclusive tourism, and transformative travel. Rather than treating these as separate ideas, I started to consider how they overlap. For example, if travel is recognised as an important aspect of participation, wellbeing and personal development, then questions arise around whether autistic individuals are currently able to experience these opportunities equally.

One of the most valuable outcomes of this exercise was recognising that several ideas continued to appear across multiple branches of my research. These recurring concepts are now the foundations of my project and will continue to guide my reading over the coming weeks.

Key Themes Emerging

• Neurodiversity Paradigm
• Social Model and Medical Model of Disability
• “Difference, Not Deficit”
• Travel as a Human Right
• Neuro-Inclusive Tourism
• Accessibility versus Inclusion
• Environmental Barriers
• Independence
• Transformative Travel

At this stage, I am still intentionally keeping my project open. Rather than defining a design solution, my priority is to continue exploring these themes and identifying where they intersect. By building a stronger theoretical understanding first, a genuine research opportunity will emerge naturally from the literature rather than being predetermined.

Reflection

Looking back at this exercise, I found it much more valuable than simply reading another paper. It allowed me to visualise the connections between different theories and identify the areas that genuinely excite me. I also realised that my interest is beginning to move beyond accessibility alone and towards broader questions surrounding inclusion, participation, identity and belonging within international travel. These concepts will now act as a framework for selecting future literature and refining my research direction.