Perceived Functional Mobility and

Community Participation among

Wheelchair Users

By Jenna Brandi, Katherine Fletcher,

Jonathan Franklin, Zakiyyaa Simmons

Overview of Topics

Covered

Problem Statemen

t

Literature Review

Research Questions Methods

Problem Statement

The purpose of this research is to measure the perceived functional mobility of power wheelchair users compared to manual wheelchair users when participating in the community. Of the 1.7 million wheelchair users in

the US, 90% of them use a manual wheelchair (Kaye, Kang, & LaPlante, 2002)

Review of Literature

Wheelchairs Manual Power

Community Integration/Participation

Psychosocial Impact

Physical Impact

Model/Theory

HAAT OA

Our Study

What are the effects of adaptive technology on community participation?

Research Questions

When comparing manual and power wheelchair users, who has a higher perceived functional mobility when participating in the community?

Methods: Hypotheses

Manual wheelchair users have a higher perceived functional mobility when accessing the community when compared to power wheelchair users.

Individuals with assistive technology have higher community participation as compared to individuals with the same diagnoses that do not have access to assistive technology.

Methods: Research Design

Survey Design: Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA)

Measures the perceived function performance when using a wheelchair

Rating Scale:

Respondents are asked a series of questions that correspond with the rating scale

Completely Agree

Mostly Agree

Slightly Agree

*Slightly Disagree

*Mostly Disagree

*Completely Disagree

Does not apply

Methods: Variables

Independent Variable:

Wheelchair Users

Dependent Variable:Perceived Functional Mobility

Methods: Participants

Participants

Ages: 18 - 76

Males and

Females

3+ Months in

Wheelchair

Interest in Community Participation

Methods: General Procedures

Recruit population

Abilities Expo

Sign Informed Consent

Collect Data

Administer FMA

Process Data

Any Questions?