Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility Project: Final Report

This data depicts the amount of space required by users of wheeled mobility devices to perform a 360-degree turn. The bold dashed line in the table and figure indicates the current ADA-ABA requirement of a 152.5 cm (60 in.) turn space. Findings from the Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility Study indicate that a square space of at least 160 x 160 cm (63 in.) was required for 50% of the manual wheelchair users measured in this study to perform a 360-degree turn. A space of 210 x 210 cm (83 in.) was required in order for 95% of manual wheelchair and power chair users to complete the turn, with 95% of scooter users needing a space of at least 250 x 250 cm (98 in.) These data are based on measurements of wheeled mobility users performing 360-degree turns within an enclosed square space built with mock walls. The enclosed space was incrementally varied from a size of 130 x 130 cm (51 in.) to 250 x 250 cm (98 in.) The minimum space required to perform a complete 360-degree turn within moving or knocking down any of the walls was recorded. Use of multiple short turns was allowed in contrast to a single continuous turn.