Escaping (Chrono)normative Youth Futures: Alternative Imaginaries Built in the Communal Spaces of Disabled Young People

The transitions to adulthood for disabled young people in the UK have long been marked by multiple barriers that have implications for their adult futures. While these dynamics have been considered in disability studies, they have been given less emphasis in critical youth studies. This article brings together critical disability studies and critical youth studies to explore the affective costs embedded in the normative underpinnings which frame adult futures as geared towards self-made self-sufficiency. It also highlights the key role of ‘third spaces’ which include third sector organisations and other spaces of community in providing a response to such costs. The article draws on a qualitative project that involved longitudinal interviews and creative methods with disabled young people growing up in Central Scotland and the North East of England, alongside interviews with family members and people who work with disabled young people in the statutory or third sector. The article argues that ‘third spaces’ of communal activity, interaction and care are important resources in escaping the ableism of mainstream spaces of youth life and requirements to build self-made futures. Such spaces enable spending time in recognition and belonging, while opening up alternative future possibilities. However, surrounding social and material conditions can undermine this key role that third spaces enable.