The focus of this multidisciplinary project is exploration of the reality of the hearing-impaired individuals (HII) in Finnish and European inclusive tourism in the context of the science of well-being. The aim of my research is gaining a holistic understanding of the potential links between tourism experiences, social inclusion, which might be affected by the interpersonal barriers to accessibility, and the well-being of the HII. The dissertation will answer the research question: How does the experience of social inclusion in tourism activities affect the well-being of the hearing-impaired participants in tourism? The thesis is based on three articles. Data will be collected through the personal narratives, semi-structured interviews/observation and questionnaires. The first article will use Interpretative Phenomenology to uncover realities experienced by the HI individuals when engaging in tourism activities. These findings from the first article will aid the product development for the HI, which will be than studied on-site using Ethnographic approach in cooperation with a North Karelian tourism operator. The third article cross-examines the findings of the first two articles using quantitative methodology (questionnaires) and adds the European perspective to the research theme. My approach to disability and impairment is defined in the scope of the Capability Theory, which accentuates the inter-relatedness of both, medical and social, models of disability. This study is designed to add to the scientific knowledge by researching which factors play a major role in constructing a meaningful tourism experience for a hearing-impaired person; which constraints have the greatest impact on the tourists’ well-being, under what condition and in which circumstances; how the interpersonal barriers affect the experience of social inclusion and how the tourists with hearing disabilities feel at various phases of their customer journey and due to which factors.

2025