Standards and Anthropometry for Wheeled Mobility

1.0 Background

The standards used to ensure accessibility for people who use wheeled mobility devices like wheelchairs and scooters are based on research in anthropometry, the measurement of body sizes and physical abilities. The anthropometric data on wheeled mobility users that underlies the technical requirements of the ICC/ANSI A117.1 (1998) Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (ICC/ANSI) and the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) were generated from research completed from 1974 -1978 using a research sample that included about 60 individuals who used wheelchairs (see Steinfeld, et al., 1979).

In 25 years, many changes have occurred in the stature of the U.S. population, the characteristics of people who use wheeled mobility devices and the characteristics of equipment that they use. Yet, the technical requirements have not changed. In fact, until recently, a newer anthropometric data set on wheeled mobility users in the U.S. was not available. In response to this lack of current information, the IDEA Center has been developing a comprehensive data set with a high level of accuracy (Steinfeld, Feathers and Paquet, 2005; Feathers, Paquet and Drury, 2004; Paquet and Feathers, 2004). Although data collection is ongoing, we have now achieved a sample size and breadth that we believe is sufficient to start a dialogue about the needs for revision to current standards.

Comparisons of international standards and research are useful to validate methods and confirm results. They are also useful to identify best practices and differences related to cultural factors. In this report, we present a comparative analysis of research and standards on wheeled mobility in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada. The analysis was limited to wheeled mobility device dimensions, minimum clear floor areas, space requirements for maneuvering, knee and toe clearances and reach limits.

This report compares the national standards from these three countries and the U.S. It also compares the research findings from the various studies, including the current work at the IDEA Center, to the standards. Section 2.0 describes the methodology we used to make these comparisons. Section 3.0 includes a comparison of the research studies’ methodologies. Section 4.0 provides a graphic comparison of the standards and research studies and a discussion of the findings and recommendations. Section 5.0 provides a conclusion. The Appendix includes details of the research methodologies, photographs illustrating issues in the report, a summary table of the IDEA Center research results and references.