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

Grab bars: Section 609 of the ADA-ABA standards [7] includes provisions for grab bars in areas where transfers are expected. Grab bars can have either circular or non-circular cross-sections [7]. Circular grab bars are more commonly used and were selected for testing.  The outside diameter dimension range for circular cross-section grab bars are between 1.25 and 2 inches. A 1.5 inch diameter was chosen for the study. Section 1009.4.5 of ADA-ABA [7] describes grab bars to be used on swimming pool, wading pool, and spa transfer walls. This standard gives the grab bar height range of 4 to 6 inches from the wall to the top of the gripping surface. Two grab bar height options were designed for the study; a 6-inch and a 2.75-inch. The 2.75-inch was added to examine the effects of a handheld when located closer to the transfer surface.  A 4 inch grab bar was not made because it was felt that the differences between the 6 inch and 4 inch would be negligible. The grab bars were designed to be 16 inches long so that they could span the depth of the platforms. Section 1009.4.5 of the ADA standards also gives the dimensions for grab bars spacing [7]. When two grab bars are provided there should be at least a 24-inch clearance between them. Since transfer seat width was a modifiable variable in the study, the grab bars were designed to have a range between 18 and 30 inches. This allows for another 6 inches below and above the standard to be evaluated (note: provisions for grab bars were applied to the handhelds which are referred to in several places throughout this report).