1. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Edward Steinfeld, Jordana Maisel and David Feathers
Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access
School of Architecture and Planning
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York
Buffalo, NY

2. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reasons for research:
The US standards are based on research and practical experience in the 1970’s
May not be valid today – studies in Canada and UK indicate that wheeled mobility devices are larger and require more space for maneuvering
Limitations of foreign studies for US application
Purchasing patterns different, e.g. third party payer policies
Needs different, e.g. public vs. private transport
Cultural differences in body size
Methods and sample size

3. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Objectives of the project:
Identify and compare requirements in standards related to the anthropometry of wheeled mobility – CA, UK, AUS, ISO
Collect and compare the research underlying the above standards
Compare the findings of the IDEA Center anthropometry research to the standards and research in other countries
Prepare recommendations for further research and revisions to technical criteria in the ADAAG

4. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
IDEA Center Anthropometry Research:
Precise measurements of occupied wheeled mobility devices using 3D digital techniques
Manual wheelchairs
Power wheelchairs
Scooters
Functional space requirements of wheeled mobility users:
Reach envelopes for front and side reach
Space clearances for circulation

5. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
IDEA Center Anthropometry Research (cont.):
Current sample size:
145 manual wheelchair users
107 power wheelchair users
23 scooter users
275 total
Represent a wide range of impairments, ages and types of devices

6. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Methods:
Structural measurements
Reach measurements

7. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Methods:
L-Turn maneuver
180 degree maneuver

8. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
This research task:
Identified and collected standards and research reports
Identified key “building blocks” of the standards as opposed to context sensitive issues, e.g. forward and side reach vs. elevator control height
Reconciled differences in terminology across standards and research studies
Developed comparison charts and graphs

9. Standards/Guidelines
Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Standards and Research Studies Compared:
Country
Standards/Guidelines
Research
Sample Size
USA
ADAAG original
ADA-ABA
ICC/ANSII
IDEA Center,
275
Canada
Canadian Standards Association (B651-04)
Universal Design Institute, 2001 50
all power chair and scooter users
Australia AS AS
Bails, 1983 72
highly variable sub sample sizes UK
BS 8300:2001
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), 2000
BS8300:2001 Appendix (research commissioned by the DETR)
745
91 - space allowances
164 - reach ranges, wheelchair dimensions, knee/toe clearances

10. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Device Dimensions – Standards
All dimensions in millimeters (mm)
US*
Australia
Canada*
UK*
Unoccupied Width
660 X
Unoccupied Length
1065
Handle Height (HH)
915
920
Armrest Height (AH)
760 x
Seat Height (SH)
485
480
Folded Wheelchair Width (F)
300
Occupied Width (W)
Occupied Length (L)
1200
Eye Height (EH)
1250
Knee (Lap) Height (KH)
685
675
Toe Height (TH)
205
200
Toe Extension beyond Footrest (TE)
150
* Advisory Information

11. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Device Dimensions – Unoccupied Width (W)
All Devices US
Australia
Canada UK
Unoccupied Width
660 X
Note: UDI only measured power chairs and scooters

12. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Device Dimensions – Unoccupied Length (L)
All Devices US
Australia
Canada UK
Unoccupied Length
1065 X

13. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Device Dimensions – Seat Height (SH) US
Australia
Canada UK
Seat Height (SH)
485 X
480

14. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Device Dimensions – Eye Height (EH) US
Australia
Canada UK
Eye Height (EH)
1250 X
Note: Standards illustrated are maximum values

15. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Clear Floor Area – Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Width (W)
760
800
750
900
Length (L)
1200
1300
1350

16. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Clear Floor Area – Width (W)
All Devices

17. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Clear Floor Area – Length (L)
All Devices
Note: UDI only measured power chairs and scooters

18. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – Forward Reach
Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Unobstructed
High Forward Reach (HF)
1220 x
Low Forward Reach (LF)
380
250
Obstructed
High Forward Reach
1120
R.E.
1100
Low Forward Reach
650
R.E. = Reach Envelope

19. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – High Forward Reach
Highest reach
Note: IDEA protocol eliminated people who could not reach above shoulder

20. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – Low Forward Reach
Lowest reach

21. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – Side Reach
Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Unobstructed
High Side Reach (HS)
1370
1350
1400
Low Side Reach (LS)
380
(ADAAG = 230 mm)
230
Obstructed
High Side Reach
1220
(ADAAG = 1370 mm)
1170
1200 x
Low Side Reach

22. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – High Side Reach
Highest reach

23. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Reach Ranges – Low Side Reach
Lowest reach

24. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Knee Clearance – Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Knee Clearance Height (KCH)
685
680
700
Knee Clearance Depth (KCDL)
280
200
260 3
Knee Clearance Depth (KCDU)
205 x
Extended Depth (ED)
635 X
Reduction Angle
1:6
(ADAAG= no reference)
Width
760
800
750
900
3 = varies based on counter height and depth

25. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Knee Clearance Height (KCH)
Note: DETR (UK) values are estimates

26. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Knee Clearance Depth (KCD)

27. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Toe Clearance – Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Toe Clearance Height (TCH)
230
300
Toe Clearance Depth (TCD)
150 X
Width (W)
760
750
900

28. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Toe Clearance Height (TCH)
Note: DETR (UK) values are estimates

29. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Toe Clearance Depth (TCD)

30. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
90 Degree Turn (“L-Turn”) – Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Width (W)
915 X
920

31. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
90 Degree Turn (“L-Turn”)
All Devices

32. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
180 Degree Turn (“U-Turn”) – Standards US
Australia
Canada UK
Diameter (circular)
1525 X
1500
Width (W)
1540
Length (L)
2070

33. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
180 Degree Turn (“U-Turn”)
All Devices
360 Degree Turn
180 Degree Turn

34. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Discussion:
Many current standards do not accommodate contemporary wheeled mobility devices and their users
Clear floor area
Reach limits
Toe and knee clearances
Maneuvering clearances
Research is consistent in trends but results are not identical

35. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Discussion:
Reasons for differences in findings
Body sizes differ across countries
Equipment sizes vary across countries
Research methods differ
Differences in research methods
Sample selection methods
Sample sizes
Criteria for inclusion in studies of each variable
Protocols
Data collection method
Analyses
Reporting methods

36. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Discussion:
Reach standards and research is confusing
Radically different protocols
Weight not taken into account (except IDEA)
Relationship to toe and knee clearances not considered – to be examined in this contract
Reach envelopes would be useful (e.g. AUS) – can develop from IDEA data

37. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Research Needs:
Study the people at the extremes – reasons for extreme values, who they are, abilities to reach and maneuver chairs independently
Increase size of 3-D sample to make more representative
Complete focused large study to verify 3-D sample
Identify and develop “Reference Users”
Standardize variables, terms and illustrations between standards and researchers
Standardize protocols to allow merging of data

38. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
How should IDEA Center data be applied?
5th and 95th percentiles are most appropriate for setting standards with a representative sample
Means – will not accommodate extremes of the population
Max and Min values will, in some cases, result in very limiting values, e.g. toe clearances, 180 degree turns
Avoid basing standards on outliers
Basing standards on sub-samples, e.g. power chair or scooter users is not necessarily the best approach – similar values in some cases, manual wheelchairs govern in others, people use more than one device
Advisory material with ranges and data for different types of devices

39. Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility
Center for Inclusive Design and
Environmental Access (IDEA)
RERC on Universal Design at Buffalo
School of Architecture and Planning University at Buffalo
378 Hayes Hall
Buffalo, NY
Tel:
ext. 329
Fax:
Website:
Funded by the US Dept. of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the US Access Board