A micro-level approach to measuring the accessibility of footways for wheelchair users using the Capability Model

Abstract

There are a growing number of people with mobility impairments who use wheelchairs to get around the built environment. This number is likely to increase in the future due to an increasingly ageing population combined with advances in medical technology which help to overcome some of the barriers to access that have hitherto prevented people from leading as full a life as they would have liked. Footways form an integral part of the transport network and therefore it is essential they can be accessed by all people. Currently, however, there is no well-defined method to measure the accessibility of footways for wheelchair users. One aspect of a footway is the crossfallthe transverse gradient designed to facilitate surface water drainagewhich adds to a wheelchair user's difficulty when progressing along the footway. This paper first reviews previous research on measuring the effect of crossfalls on wheelchair accessibility, highlighting the need for a new approach. It then proposes the Capability Model as a starting point for this new approach. The model is updated and populated with an initial capability set chosen to measure footway accessibility across footways with three different crossfall gradients (0%, 2.5% and 4%). The focus is on the physical work provided by the user to the wheelchair in order to keep it travelling in a straight line. It is shown that in order to travel in a straight line when a footway is flat only a single principal capability is required: the ability to produce sufficient force over the required distance to overcome the inertia and rolling resistance and keep the wheelchair moving at the chosen velocity. When a positive crossfall gradient is introduced a second capability is required: the ability to apply different levels of force to the left and right sides of the wheelchair. It is concluded that it is possible to measure these two capabilities and these provide a good insight into the effect of crossfalls on footway accessibility for wheelchair users.

Linking wheelchair kinetics to glenohumeral joint demand during everyday accessibility activities

“…Wheelchair users must tackle a number of difficult footway conditions daily as they push from A to B. Previous research highlights increased upper limb demand during cross-slope [7] and incline propulsion [8]. Inclines have been shown to require an increase in both muscle activity [9] and GH joint contact force [6] compared to level propulsion.…”

The Effect of Transport Accessibility on the Social Inclusion of Wheelchair Users: A Mixed Method Analysis

“…Shoulder pain can be so severe that it leaves the person without an independent form of mobility. It has been noted previously that the method of assessment of accessibility can affect the resulting guidance, and that even when guidance is followed it can be challenging to wheelchair users (Holloway & Tyler, 2013). Guidance such as Manual for Streets 2 (Department for Transport, 2007) used by the UK to help produce accessible pedestrian infrastructure are not always produced based on empirical evidence, and are often developed via case studies or rule of thumb practice which.…”

Measuring accessible journeys: a tool to enable participation

“…For example, it has been demonstrated that increasing footpath crossfall is related to increasing difficulty of negotiation for manual wheelchair users (Holloway and Tyler, 2013). The nature of curb transitions between the footpath and road crossings can also be problematical for users of wheelchairs (Bennett et al, 2009).…”