Wheeled Mobility Devices and
the Built Environment
Alborz Ahosseini
SBi
Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University · 2014
Title Wheeled Mobility Aid devices and the Built Environment
Serietitel
Format
Edition First edition
Year of publication 2014
Author Alborz Ahosseini
Language English
Number of pages 50
Summary
Keywords
ISBN
Price
Layout
Drawings Alborz Ahosseini
Printers
Publisher Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University,
A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV
E-mail
This publication is covered by the Danish Copyright Act
SBi
Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University · 2014
Table of Contents
Fore word (Preference)
1.Introduction
2.Human, Disability and Mobility aid
2.1 Human chart
2.2 Disability types and definitions:
2.3 List of wheeled mobility aids:
3.Collection of Current Wheeled Mobility Aid devices in the Market and in the Current Benchmark Literature
3.1Denmark’s current wheeled mobility aids
3.2 World’s current wheeled mobility aids
3.3 Maximum dimensions of mobility aids
3.4 Maximum dimensions of new mobility aids presented as one device (Hypothetical)
3.4.1 Maximum dimensions of hypothetical new mobility aid
3.4.2 Maximum dimensions of new mobility aid including user
3.4.3 Maximum dimensions of new mobility aid including user and helper
4.Building (From outside to inside):
4.1 Parking
4.1.1 Calculation of dimensions of off-street parking; based on new mobility aid dimension
4.1.2 Comparison of new suggestions for parking space dimension with current standards
Conclusion for parking dimensions:
4.2 Access to the building (Vertical)
Conclusion for access to the building dimensions (vertical):
4.3 Entrance
Conclusions for entrance dimensions:
4.4 Dimensions of maneuvering area; based on new mobility aid dimensions:
4.5 Access to buildings facilities
4.5.1 Toilettes
4.5.2 ATMs
4.5.3 Switches and controls
Conclusions for access to buildings facilities:
4.6 Emergency situation:
References:
Web references:
Appendix:
Foreword (Preference)
Lots of new buildings are being built at present in Denmark and if we do not be quickly find and publish new suggestions and standards for building regulation with respect to advances in wheeled mobility aid devices, all these new parts of the cities will be builtbased on old regulations.
How to use this text:
This part of the document describes how different sections are organized and how it should be used by the readers.
This document has 4 main chapters followed by Appendix and reference list. Chapter 1 is the introduction which discusses the purpose and need for this document. Chapter 2 provides information about human chart, disability types and a list of mobility aid devices. Chapter 3 presents a detailed collection of wheeled mobility aid devices on the Danish market and globally. Chapter 4 also includes the dimensions of a symbolic new mobility aid device that is used for further investigations in this research. The 4th chapter has focus on building and in this part, the path of a person with mobility impairment from car parking, entering the building, using the building facilities and going out is considered.
To achieve the greatest benefit from this document, it is recommended that the user start by reading the introduction and “getting familiar with reference list". Following that, reading Sections 1 and 2 and Sub-sections 3.3 and 3.4 are recommended. Then the reader could move to the chapter of interest and start reading directly about for example building facilities or access to building etc...
Getting familiar with the references:
The references used in this document are mentioned at the "references" section; those are selected from the references currently used in Denmark and globally, like the “Danish Building Regulations” and recommendations as well as valid standards like “British Standards" and "ISO 2011" for building standards and norms. For the anthropometrical data (human body measure), valid references such as "Humanscale 4/5/6 Manual" and "The Measure of Man and Woman: Human factors in design" are used. Most of the measures for mobility aid devices are drawn from webpages of the largest and most important distributers and producers of mobility aids in Denmark and globally such as "Assistive technology data- The national board of social services", "Invacare shop" and "Pegasus mobility".
Scientific Publication:
The following publication has been resulted from the work done in this research:
Ahosseini A. (2014). New Wheeled Mobility Aids and Parking Spaces. International Conference on Universal Design (UD2014) , Lund University. (
1.Introduction
The main goal of this study is to investigate the accessibility standards for built environments based on the evolution in mobility aids. In order to do that, this research-based study starts with a comparison of the existing standards/norms for built environments. The norms/standardsfor the built environments in current reference books, as well as the logic behind calculations of these norms and provisions, are investigated based on the new and older mobility aid devices.
A list of existing mobility aid devices and their dimensions are prepared both for the national market in Denmark andthe global market
To define the actual required measurements of built environments’ norm in different scenarios, the human anthropometric measures must be taken into account.
The new proposed measurements for the built environments norms and provisions are obtained from adding the size of the new Mobility Aid devices to the measures of a human body.
Universal Design; Accessibility for All
Contemporary cities and built environments provide anabundance of experiences and possibilities for the people without any limitations imposed upon them by the built environment. These opportunities should be the same for people with or without disabilities and these requirements are in accordance with the universal design principles. The universal design concept is to make life easier for all people by focusing on making the products and environments useful for more people thereby reducing the need for an assistant. The principles aim at easing life for all people regardless of their age, size, and disability.
Building Regulations
To ensure that cities and built environments are accessible for all, coherent guidelines, standards and checklists are being developed in many countries. These guidelines and standards intend to deal with the needs of people with a wide range of disabilities such as mobility, sight, hearing or cognitive disabilities that limit their ability to access their built environment on an equal footing. These guidelines and check lists are based on a series of norms and standards which has been in use for years now; specially in the building regulations. To make the built environment accessible for all, these norms are the base principle in order to implement the required knowledge in the building regulations.
New accessibility equipment and devices
The world is evolving rapidly, and new accessibility equipment and devices are introduced which makeslife easier for people with disabilities. However, the rapid developments in the evolution of accessibility equipment may not always be in sync withexisting accessibility norms and standards. Constructors, designers and others involved in accessible design projects are using these norms and standards without considering the fact that enhancements in the equipment and modern facilities may have changed the necessary demands to access to the built environments. The gap between accessibility provisions in built environments and the developments in accessibility equipment is increasing by not taking the evolution of assistive equipment into account. It is important to focus on the rapid development of accessibility equipment and the way that this development evolves and will affect the built environment.
New accessibility devices and their effects on the built environment
The developments in the design of assistive equipment will have a huge bearing on the built environment and the corresponding accessibility norms since some of today’s strict requirements may be unnecessary in the future and vice versa. It is very important to know where we stand at the moment with regard to the evolution of accessibility equipment and what the future perspective might be. By having a future perspective on the development of accessibility equipment, some of the existing accessibility norms and provisions may thus be required to change significantly.
One of the important assistive mobility devices is the wheeled mobility device which is considered to be the most effective way of improving the impact of mobility limitations for many people with mobility impairments.
The design of wheeled mobility aid devices is rapidly evolving, and therefore the relevant accessibility standards for built environments need to be reconsidered respectively to cover future developments. Standards for accessible design should be changed to reflect the development of these devices and their design. In this study, the focus is on these devices and the effects of their development on the built environment. The main objective now is to investigate the new accessibility standards for built environments based on the evolution in mobility aids.
2.Human, Disability and Mobility Aid
2.1 Human chart
All people experience some kind of disability during at least one period of their life; e.g. during pregnancy, some kind of illness, broken bones, impairments depending on age and so on. Seen from this perspective, a mobility aid is an essential requirement at least once in the life of many human beings.
There are differences among people such as gender (male/ female/ other) that have no effect on their use of mobility aids.On the other hand, there are differences among people thataffects on their use of mobility aids, such as age (adult, children and elderly) and body type (normal/bariatric or overweight or obese).
Different countries have their own definition of children and elderly people. But mostly the word “child”means a person under 18 years of age and “elderly people”means people over 65.
For categorizing people by body type, their BMI (Body Mass Index) is used as scale. A person with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is a normal (healthy weight) person, and a person with BMI between 25 and 30 is an overweight person but still not bariatric. So in this research people with BMI between 25 and 30 are also included as normal BMI people since they do not need special care.
The focus of this report is on average size, normal weight adults (with a BMI between 18.5 and 30) and the human scale in this report is based on a scale of a personbeing between 18 and 65 years old.
For further information about the people with BMI over 30 (Obese) or bariatric, one can read “Pladskravogindretningtilsværtovervægtigepersoner - en vejledning” (in Danish).
2.2 Disability types and definitions:
The focus of this research is on people with physical disabilities and specifically with mobility impairment. Other disabilities are just mentioned and not further investigated.
Physical disabilities:
Mobility impairment
People with mobility impairment are the people who have problems with walking. Reduced function of legs and feet sometimes leads to user dependency on a wheelchair or artificial aid (instead of body parts) for walking. In addition to people born with a disability, this group includes a large number of people whose condition is caused by age, weight, size, mental state or accidents.
Dexterity impairment (arms/hands/fingers)
People with dexterity impairment (arms/hands/fingers)cannot use their hand power so they should use specially designed mobility aid device or a manual wheelchair with a helper.
Some other disabilities are just mentioned below.The focus of this study is on people with physical disabilities and therefore, these disabilities are not further investigated:
Visual impairment (blindness/color blindness/low vision)
Hearing impairment
Learning disability
Asthma and allergy
Note:A person may have two or more disabilities; in that case some special devises should be designed for her/him.
2.3 List of wheeled mobility aids:
Different types of mobility aids are being used by people with different disabilities. The focus of this research is on wheeled mobility aid devices.
Standards with different quality levels are used to make a building accessible for people with different levels of disabilities.For public buildings, high-quality standard levels are suggested to make them accessible for a wider range of wheeled mobility aids.
If the high-quality standard levels are followed in buildings with public access such as libraries, schools, shopping centers etc., then the user of an out-door scooter is able to access the building’s facilities with her/his scooter andshe/he does not need to change to another(smaller) device before entering the building.
For example she/he does not need to change from an out-doorscooter to a manual wheelchairs or walkeras some shopping centers offer their customers.
A list of different types of wheeled mobility aid devices is presented in this sub-section:
Walkers
Wheeled walkers
A “wheeled walker”could be three or four wheels dependent on type of disability and where it is being used.
Manual wheelchairs
Self-Propelled
Self-propelled wheelchairs are used in case the user has the ability to propel the device.
Attendant propelled
These devices are being used by people who do not have ability to propel the device themselves so they need a helper.
Electric wheelchairs
A motorized wheelchair, power-chair, electric wheelchair or electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) is also being used by people with mobility impairment, but this is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manual power.
Three, four or sixwheels wheelchairs
The number of wheels gives different levels of freedom and abilities (maneuvering space, turning angle and so on) to a device, and makes it more suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
Scooters
Indoor scooters
Indoor scooters are usually smaller and mostly have three wheels.
Outdoor scooters
They are bigger and mostly with four wheels. They are designed to be used outdoors but they canbe used indoorsin high-quality standard buildings with public access.
Special devices
Some mobility aids are designed to fulfill the needs of a special application;it can be a special sport or for medical use such as a neurologist-wheelchair.
Note: Mobility aids without wheels are for example canes and crutches and walkers (without wheels). Since they are not relevant to this report, they are not listed above.
3.Collection of Current Wheeled Mobility Aid Devices in the Market and on the Current Benchmark Literature
The dimensions of the mobility aids presented in this research are mainly drawn from two different sources:
- Devices existing on the market at present in Denmark and globally
(Sections 3.1 & 3.2)
- Devices which are used as a reference in benchmark literatures and building regulations. (Section 3.3)
A summary of the existing mobility aid devices on the Danish and global market are presented in Tables 1-4 in Sections 3.1 and 3.2. In Section 3.3, a collection of dimensions of mobility aids on the market and in benchmark literature and building regulations is presented.In Section 3.4, all the mentioned results in Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 are summarized in one symbolic devicewith the absolute maximum dimensions (Fig.1) that can be used in making a building accessible for all.
3.1 Denmark’s current wheeled mobility aid devices
In the following tables, dimensions of some new mobility aidswhich are currently on the Danish market are listed. The tables are categorized in adult,children andbariatric”. Full tables are attached in the appendix I.
The models mentioned in these tables are selected based on theirsize. The devices are chosen from the most common devices on the market and sorted by type from walker to scooter.
Table 1 –Adults(between 18 and 65 of age):
(This is a summary of table1in the appendix I)
Product type / Product name / Length(mm) / Width
(mm) / Height
(mm) / Turning
diameter +user (mm)
Walker / MalteRollator
str. 4 / 920 / 800 / 1200 / _
Manual wheelchair / Azalea Base / 1070 / 720 / 1400 / _
Manual wheelchair / Rea Azalea / 1020 / 770 / 1250 / _
Electric
wheelchair / Invacare Mirage / 1020 / 820 / 1250 / _
Scooter / Mini Crosser
Nordic 4-Wheels / 1390 / 660 / _ / 3180
Scooter / Mini Crosser
Nordic 3-Wheels / 1360 / 660 / _ / 2540
Thedimensions of devices for two other types of person (children, bariatric)are mentioned in table 2 and table 3 in order to highlight the differences of the size of the devices.The dimensions of mobility aids in other countries than Denmark are shown in Table 4.
However, as mentioned above, the focus of this study is on average-size adults and the devices which are currently available on the Danish market.Unfortunately there is not a precise statistic of mobility aid devices and their users or any classified information about them at the moment in Denmark.
These four tables (1-4) show just some examples of products that have at least maximum dimension in one of length, width, height or turning diameter.A full tableis presented in appendix I.
Table 2 – Children (under 18 years of age):
(This is a summary of table 2 in the appendix I)
Product type / Product name / Length (mm) / Width(mm) / Height
(mm) / Turning
diameter (mm)
Walker / Buddy Roamer
3 & 4 / 900 / 800 / _ / _
Walker / Mustang sz 4 Blue / 1100 / 700 / _ / _
Walker / Pegasus Trækrollator / 755 / 660 / 725
Manual
wheelchair / Euro chair Avanti
Junior / 880 / 560 / _ / _
Electric
wheelchair / A200 Skippi / 850 / 570 / _ / 1100
Table 3–Bariatric (BMI over 30):
(This is a summary of table3 in the appendix I)
Producttype / Product name / Length (mm) / Width
(mm) / Height
(mm) / Turning
diameter (mm)
Walker / XXL-Rehab
Rollator / 845 / 710 / 1300 / _
Manual wheelchair / Azalea Max / 1120 / 910 / 1240 / _
Electric
wheelchair / PUMA 40
Front-W-Drive / 1190 / 655 / _ / 600
Scooter / Lindebjerg
LM – 600 / 1550 / 760 / _ / 1500
Note 1: All sizes are according to suppliers’ information, but minor changes are made on some of them to be consistent (for example radius to diameter or inch to millimeter etc.)