Accessibility of outpatient healthcare providers for wheelchair users: Pilot study

Abstract

Abstract-The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires full and equal access to healthcare services and facilities, yet studies indicate individuals with mobility disabilities receive less than thorough care as a result of ADA noncompliance. The objective of our pilot study was to assess ADA compliance within a convenience sample of healthcare clinics affiliated with a statewide healthcare network. Site assessments based on the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities were performed at 30 primary care and specialty care clinics. Clinical managers completed a questionnaire on standard practices for examining and treating patients whose primary means of mobility is a wheelchair. We found a majority of restrooms (83%) and examination rooms (93%) were noncompliant with one or more ADA requirements. Seventy percent of clinical managers reported not owning a heightadjustable examination table or wheelchair accessible weight scale. Furthermore, patients were examined in their wheelchairs (70%-87%), asked to bring someone to assist with transfers (30%), or referred elsewhere due to an inaccessible clinic (6%). These methods of accommodation are not compliant with the ADA. We recommend clinics conduct ADA selfassessments and provide training for clinical staff on the ADA and requirements for accommodating individuals with mobility disabilities.

Health‐Related Incidents among Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Players

“…When compared to other adaptive sports, wheelchair basketball has been established as a “high‐risk sport.” 16,47,48 Despite this increased risk of injury among intercollegiate wheelchair basketball players, there remains a discrepancy in access to care between adaptive athletes and nondisabled athletes. Prior studies have shown that individuals with disabilities tend to receive less thorough medical care when compared to individuals without disabilities 49 . Similarly, health care support for elite adaptive athletes is not as well established as it is for elite nondisabled athletes.…”

A One-Year Fellowship in the Care of People with Disabilities: A Demonstration Project

“…Though the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed 30 years ago and explicitly prohibits discrimination in health care facilities (H.R. 2273, 1990), Frost demonstrated that many medical practice managers are unaware of or uninterested in this law (Frost et al, 2015).…”

Wheelchair users’ perspectives on barriers in public spaces in Vienna: implications for the development of a barrier information system / Barrieren aus der Sicht von Rollstuhlnutzern/-innen im öffentlichen Raum in Wien: Implikationen für ein Barriere-Informationssystem

“…aus der Türkei (Evcil, 2008), Japan (Fukuda, Saito, Tsunomachi & Doutsu, 2010), Zimbabwe (Useh, Moyo & Munyonga, 2001), Kanada (Bennet et. al, 2009), den Arabischen Emiraten (Rivano-Fisher, 2004, aus Deutschland (Müller, Neis, Auer & Zipf, 2003) und den USA (Cooper, Molinero, Souza, Collins, Karmarkar, Teodorski & Sporner, 2012;Frost, Bertocci, Stillman, Smalley & Williams, 2015;Rosenberg, Huang, Simonovich & Belza, 2012). Im Gegensatz zu Matthews et al (2003) untersuchten diese Studien Teil-Aspekte von Barrieren im öffentlichen Raum; z.B.…”

“…Im Gegensatz zu Matthews et al (2003) untersuchten diese Studien Teil-Aspekte von Barrieren im öffentlichen Raum; z.B. den Zugang zu öffentlichen Gebäuden (Rivano-Fisher, 2004;Evcil, 2008;Useh et al 2001; Übersichtsarbeit zu diesem Thema von Welage & Liu, 2011), den Zugang zu öffentlichen Gesundheitseinrichtungen (Frost et al 2015;Fukada et al 2010), den Vergleich von realen Gehsteigschrägen mit den laut Leitlinien zu Barrierefreiheit vorgeschriebenen Abschrägungen (Bennett et al 2009) (Flick, 2012). Anhand qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse wurden die Daten in einem ersten Analysedurchgang vom Erstautor ausgewertet (Flick, 2012).…”