A Quantitative Methodology for Assessment of Wheelchair Controllability

Abstract

Changes in wheeled mobility user demographics and technologies over the past 30 years show the need for design guidelines for accessibility to persons with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. A key component is wheelchair maneuverability, which determines the clear space needed for travel in the environment. Previous studies have applied rating scales to assess the difficulty when wheelchair users maneuver in a built environment. These need to be complemented by direct maneuverability measurements. Having wheelchair users perform self-paced control tasks, for both lateral and longitudinal tasks is a potential method to meet the requirement. This study validated a methodology of measuring the steering controllability and start/stop controllability of wheelchairs so that further studies can apply this methodology to evaluate either environmental or wheelchair designs. The same speed/accuracy relationships were found for wheelchair users as had been found earlier for a variety of vehicles.

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