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Pilot study to measure wheelchair users’ space requirements in the bathroom

Ernesto Morales (Faculty of Medicine, Universite Laval, Quebec City, Canada) (Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec Institute of Physical Rehabilitation, Quebec City, Canada)
Stéphanie Gamache (Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec Institute of Physical Rehabilitation, Quebec City, Canada)
François Routhier (Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada) (Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec Institute of Physical Rehabilitation, Quebec City, Canada)
Jacqueline Rousseau (School of Rehabilitation, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada) (Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, University Institute of Geriatrics, Quebec City, Canada)
Olivier Doyle (Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Quebec City, Canada)

Journal of Enabling Technologies

ISSN: 2398-6263

Article publication date: 17 September 2018

Issue publication date: 7 November 2018

183

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a methodology to measure the circulation area required by a manual or powered wheelchair within a toilet stall and present the range of possible results that can be collected when used in an experimental bathroom setup.

Design/methodology/approach

A bathroom environment containing a toilet, grab bars and two transparent acrylic panels suspended on rails to simulate walls was built. Three setups were experimented: 1,500 mm from the walls, 1,500 mm diagonally from the toilet and 1,700 mm from the walls. For each of the participants, markers were placed on the back and on the rear of the wheelchair and one on the toes of the participants. The Vicon® optical motion capture system was used to register the markers’ position in the 3D space.

Findings

The methodology proved to be relatively easy to install, efficient and easy to interpret in terms of results. It provides specific points from which it is possible to measure the trajectories of markers and calculate the polygonal projection of the area covered by each participant. The results showed that manual and powered wheelchair users required, respectively, 100 and 300 mm more than the minimum 1,500 mm wall-to-wall area to complete a rotation task in front of the toilet.

Originality/value

These results showed that the 1,500 mm gyration area proposed in the Canadian Code of Construction is not sufficient for manual and powered wheelchair users to circulate easily in toilet stalls. The methodology can provide evidence to support the improvement of construction norms in terms of accessible circulation areas.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This project received financial support from the Réseau provincial de recherche en adaptation-réadaptation in partnership with the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (Project No. 931). Special thanks to the Management and Direction of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration for the implementation of the laboratory where the present project was developed. F. Routhier is Research Scholar supported by the Fonds de la recherche du Québec – Santé and S. Gamache is Doctoral Student granted by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture.

Citation

Morales, E., Gamache, S., Routhier, F., Rousseau, J. and Doyle, O. (2018), "Pilot study to measure wheelchair users’ space requirements in the bathroom", Journal of Enabling Technologies, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-02-2018-0007

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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