ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the realities Finns with disabilities experience when taking part in organised or otherwise social leisure activities—in a word, hobbies. We first discuss leisure activities as a key policy focus for the Finnish welfare state and how persons with disabilities have been considered in this process. We then discuss the participation of persons with disabilities in leisure time in three thematic sections. The first section discusses the organisation of leisure activities and how this affects the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities. The second section focuses on the intersection of social services and leisure time, asking how the availability of specific types of support affects participation in leisure activities. Third, we discuss the meaning and value attached by individuals to having hobbies and vibrant leisure time. Our examination highlights the complexity of the question of equal opportunities in leisure activities, as the realisation of equality is not only a question concerning accessibility in the built environment or the availability of crucial services that support participation. Rather both are needed to make equal participation a reality.
