Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine the minimum space required for wheeled mobility device
users to perform 4 maneuverability tasks and to investigate the impact of
selected design attributes on space. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: University
laboratory, Veterans Affairs research facility, vocational training center, and a
national wheelchair sport event. PARTICIPANTS: The sample of convenience included
manual wheelchair (MWC;
n=109), power wheelchair (PWC; n=100), and scooter users
(n=14). INTERVENTION: A mock environment was constructed to create passageways to
form an L-turn, 360 degrees -turn in place, and a U-turn with and without a
barrier. Passageway openings were increased in 5-cm increments until the user
could successfully perform each task without hitting the walls. Structural
dimensions of the device and user were collected using an electromechanical
probe. Mobility devices were grouped into categories based on design features and
compared using 1-way analysis of variance and post hoc pairwise
Bonferroni-corrected tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Minimum passageway widths for
the 4 maneuverability tasks. RESULTS: Ultralight MWCs with rear axles posterior
to the shoulder had the shortest lengths and required the least amount of space
compared with all other types of MWCs (P<.05). Mid-wheel-drive PWCs required the
least space for the 360 degrees -turn in place compared with front-wheel-drive
and rear-wheel-drive PWCs (P<.01) but performed equally as well as
front-wheel-drive models on all other turning tasks. PWCs with seat functions
required more space to perform the tasks. CONCLUSIONS: Between 10% and 100% of
users would not be able to maneuver in spaces that meet current Accessibility
Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities specifications.
This study provides data
that can be used to support wheelchair prescription and home modifications and to
update standards to improve the accessibility of public areas.

Langue : ANGLAIS