Anthropometry for Persons with Disabilities

Capabilities, Resources, and Facilities

Any organization charged with the responsibility of carrying out an anthropometric survey such as the proposal suggested here should have the following capabilities:

• a track record for the conduct of reputable research in applied anthropometry.

• experience in planning and organizing anthropometric surveys.

• hands-on experience with the measurement of all classes of anthropometric dimensions.

• hands-on experience with experimental subjects and human use considerations.

• experience in the area of field data collection, on-line data editing, and data processing.

• experience with data analysis techniques.

• experience with human measurement instrumentation.

• experience in training measurers and minimizing observer error.

• experience in dealing with people with disabilities.

• access to an appropriate population.

• experience in producing high-quality technical reports.

The resources needed are relatively minimal. Specifically the organization needs to have: 1) computer equipment sufficient to data entry and data storage needs; 2) a variety of appropriate anthropometric equipment; and 3) access to any specialized equipment the survey might require.

No large fixed facility should be required to conduct the proposed study, since it is envisioned that measurement would take place in the field, and once arrangements have been made, test sites at selected and prearranged locations could be established. At most, a temporarily empty room would be required.

It is often useful for long-term budgetary planning to have rough estimates of the cost of a project. We provide such an estimate here, with the proviso that many of the factors which will materially affect the cost of this research program are yet indeterminate. Nevertheless, this estimate may be useful in broad planning exercises.

Our estimate is based on collecting data at three locations, sampling 500 individuals, and three trips to Washington for planning and discussing results. Based on these parameters, we anticipate the pilot study requiring approximately 6 months and in the range of $250,000 to $350,000. Naturally, as various project parameters become more firm, the firmness of the cost estimate would increase as well.