Independent Wheelchair Transfers in the Built Environment: How Transfer Setup Impacts Performance Phase 2: Final Report

Executive Summary

Performing the task of transferring oneself from one surface to another is highly essential for wheeled mobility device users in order to accomplish everyday activities such as going to work/school, interacting with friends, and participating in the community.   Limited data is available concerning how the built environment impacts independent wheelchair transfer performance. The United States Access Board and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research sponsored a multi-year research study on independent transfers to collect more information on this issue. In this phase of the study, an international workgroup of experts came together to exchange ideas and information related to independent transfers and generate a future research agenda. Workgroup participant remarks combined with the ideas of Access Board members and University of Pittsburgh researchers were used to design a new transfer data collection tool. The objectives of the data collection part of this phase of the transfer study was to use this tool to investigate the impact of various environmental features on performance.  These features included how high and how low wheeled mobility device users can transfer to a platform above and below their mobility device seat, how high and how low users can transfer between two platform steps, clear floor space dimensions, and the use and impact of grab bars.

Key Study findings:

• The majority of participants (e.g. the 5th percentile or approximately 95% of the study sample) could transfer independently to a platform at a height that was within one inch of the mean wheelchair or scooter seat to floor height (22.1 inches) and to a platform that was 27 inches wide.

• Up to 78% of the study participants used grab bars when they were added to the platform and they helped participants to transfer higher and lower than they could without them. 

• Grab bars were used more frequently (by up to 94% of participants) when performing transfers between two platform steps verses transferring between the wheelchair and one platform.

• When multiple transfers are required to reach higher or lower surfaces 15.2% of the participants in this study could not complete them at any height (11 out of 72 participants; 8 of which wouldn’t attempt to transfer at all and 3 of which attempted the transfer but failed in the process). 

• Of the participants who attempted and were successful with performing two-step transfers, the 50th percentile could attain a 7 inch vertical height difference which is below the maximum allowable height difference in the standards of 8 inches. This was true for both types of two-step transfers evaluated in this study.  One two-step transfer included a ramp in between two platform steps whereas the other two-step transfer had no ramp or space between the first and second platform steps.

• A 104 inch wide by 55.5 inch deep clear floor space in front of the platform accommodated 100% of the study participants when considering all types of transfers evaluated in this study.

• A standard turning area of 60 inches by 60 inches accommodated between 52% to 66% of the participants depending on the type of transfer (with or without grab bars and backrest) and direction of transfer (moving to or moving from the platform).