For our first arrival in Amsterdam we didn’t plan a solid structure for the day as were were aware of how overwhelming travelling and entering a new city can be so we wanted to allow ourselves the freedom and comfort of settling in and researching at our own pace for the first day. Nonetheless, as a group we were still vigilant with our surroundings and made notes of anything that stood out to us as accessible or a potential barrier.
The next day, we started off our research with a trip to the STRAAT museum as we aimed to incorporate as much of Amsterdam’s culture into our accessibility research. Since street art is an integrated into the city we thought that this museum would be a good opportunity to analyse how accessible this is for people with physical disabilities and neurodiversity. As tourists, the overall experience of the museum was amazing and we are all so glad that we took the time out of our day to visit. In terms of conducting our research, I have mixed feelings about the accessibility of the museum as the idea of having a variety of street art pieces in one space does provide accessibility to some level. This all depends on the level of support that the individual requires, as the floor in the museum was a very uneven surface that would cause issues for wheelchair users. But the layout could be beneficial for people with hidden disabilities that struggle to walk long distances or time periods. During this research I have began to realise the difficulty of studying neurodiversity as a neurotypical person, this is emphasised by the range of neurodiverse needs as well. I personally think that for a neurodiverse person who admires street art that this museum would be an ideal way of quietly exploring the art, without the stimulating environment of the busy and loud streets. But, the artwork within the museum is generally highly stimulating and as I know from my previous literature search, travel and tourism on the whole can be a challenge for neurodiverse people due its collection of unknown, multi-sensory experiences.
On the 13th March I went with my group to interview Josephine Rees from AbleAmsterdam at Bar Bonnie in Amsterdam. During our journey to the cafe, which took 2 trams, I was hyper aware of my surroundings and ensured that I was engaging with the ethnography aspect of our research at all times. I observed people using the trams and the accessibility system put in place, on the surface it seems to work as there is always a member of staff working near the priority seats. However, after consideration I realise that this may not be a true reflection of Amsterdam’s transport throughout the whole year since I am only experiencing a short time here. But, articles have praised Amsterdam for its public transport systems and bike lanes as accessibility feature for wheelchair users – so perhaps my experience was true to the day to day experiences of others.
When we arrived at the cafe, which was decided by Josephine, I instantly comprehended the size of the door to get into the cafe. The door was very narrow and required both hands to be opened fully. Once inside the cafe, the seating options, as well as the toilet, were either upstairs or downstairs. This did take me by surprise as it was a cafe that had been recommended to us by Josephine, which implies the assumption that we are all able-bodied.
Despite this, the semi-structured interview was very successful and will definitely help us with the main data for our research. We quickly built up a rapport with Josephine, which was helped by Helen’s consistent communication via email beforehand. The answers that Josephine provided gave us insight into aspects that we hadn’t previously thought about, such as the cycling culture providing access to wheel repairs for wheelchair users as well as cyclists. This encouraged me to read the Bicycle Dutch blog, which suggested that the well designed cycling infrastructure enhances the quality of life for those who travel via a mobility scooter due to its freedom to travel safely and independently.
The following day our group decided to separate for our research so Helen and I took the time to fully immerse ourselves in Rembrandt Square and spent 2 hours drawing an ethnographic map and engaging in conversations with the people around us. The ethnographic map didn’t necessarily provide us with new data for our study but it functioned as a spring board for further sociological analysis. For example, we got talking to a man who was collecting bottles and cans from the bins, who told us about his love for the city and why Rembrandt Square is his favourite square. We realised that he was collecting these recyclables because of their deposit return scheme, so they can be collected and returned for 15 cents per item. This later sparked conversations between Helen and I about the accessibility of the bins, recycling and green space, as well as class inequality and prejudice. I later decided to read into some of these topics further and found that 13.5% of the Netherlands population occupy the term ‘insecure workers’ due to the uncertain labour market, poor self-image and high levels of depression. The country also has large wealth inequalities and increasing in-work poverty.
Despite this not providing any solid findings for our study, I think it was a really productive day as it encouraged me to use my sociological and critical thinking skills applied to new areas within a new city.
Ashton, L. (2024) Photo taken in Amsterdam [own photo]
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Tomra (2023) Tomorrow the Netherlands expands their deposit return scheme to include beverage cans, TOMRA [online], 31st March 2023 Available at: https://www.tomra.com/en/reverse-vending/media-center/news/2023/netherlands-expands-deposit-return-scheme#:~:text=Eligible%20cans%20will%20have%20a,Nederland%20as%20voluntary%20collection%20points. [Accessed: 14/03/2024]
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Amsterdam Fieldwork 