Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility Project: Final Report

3.3.15.3 Side (lateral) reach – over an obstruction depth of 610 mm

The vast majority of WhMD users in our study that displayed some reach capability could not reach at or beyond a 610 mm (24 in.) obstacle, regardless of height (Figure 3‒17). There were also differences between users of different types of WhMDs. For heights that approximated the U.S. standard of 1170 mm (46 in.), only 31% of the manual wheelchair users, 24% of the power wheelchair users and 13% of the scooter users could reach 610 mm (24 in.) beyond the most lateral point of the WhMD. The results suggest that the recommended maximum depth of 610 mm (24 in.) obstruction would need to be reduced significantly in order to accommodate a majority of our study’s WhMD users.

Figure 3-17. Side reach, beyond a 610 mm obstruction: research findings versus the standard.