Recommendations on Standards for the Design of Medical Diagnostic Equipment for Adults with Disabilities, Advisory Committee Final Report

Summary

The following report provides a brief analysis of four anthropometric dimensions which were considered relevant to the width and depth dimensions of a seating surface for wheeled mobility device users. The data are based on findings from the Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility (AWM) Project, and comprises of detailed static measurements collected from 500 users of manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and scooters.

This analysis focuses only on the adequacy of the proposed transfer surface dimensions as a static seating surface – i.e., no measurements of transfers were recorded. The proposed dimensions for transfer surface 30in. wide and 15in. deep is estimated to be adequate as minimum criteria for a static seating surface. Our
research findings demonstrate that the minimum width of the surface could be as small as 28 in. and still accommodate 95% of our sample. It should be noted that Additional width may be required for accommodating users that are morbidly obese or use bariatric wheelchairs. Furthermore, additional space may be needed to accommodate the task of transferring, depending on the additional features provided, e.g. armrests or railings. User testing is recommended for arriving at more accurate transfer surface dimensions and design features to insure usability for a broad diversity of users, including individuals with mobility impairments.