Department of Occupational Therapy Works

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https://hdl.handle.net/1805/5215

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Browsing Department of Occupational Therapy Works by Subject "Accessibility"

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    Pilot Testing and Validation of an Educational Game on Transportation Challenges for Mobility Device Users
    (MDPI, 2024) Candiotti, Jorge L.; Park, Sangmi; Lee, Chang Dae; Rafferty, Evan J.; Cooper, Rosemarie; Cooper, Rory A.; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Despite the increasing use of assistive mobility devices, practical education to navigate real-world ground transportation barriers is lacking. The educational board game, called HERL-Town, was developed to teach safe and effective navigation for mobility device users (MDUs) in the community. The study examined the initial validity, reliability, and overall quality of HERL-Town as an educational tool for overcoming transportation barriers in real-world environments. HERL-Town featured fifty scenarios focused on transportation barriers and strategies, which were assessed for content validity, while the game quality was evaluated using the Model for the Evaluation of Educational Games (MEEGA+) tool. Twenty-three experienced MDUs and four caregivers participated in the study. The results indicated a good quality score of 60.15 and forty-five scenarios met the content validity standards. The overall reliability of the scenarios was moderate (ICC = 0.729). Early psychometric findings suggest HERL-Town as a promising effective educational game for helping new MDUs and their travel companions navigate safe and effective ground transportation barriers, hence enhancing their confidence, independence, and participation in the community.
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    Usability and Vibration Analysis of a Low-Profile Automatic Powered Wheelchair to Motor Vehicle Docking System
    (MDPI, 2023) Lee, Chang Dae; Daveler, Brandon J.; Candiotti, Jorge L.; Cooper, Rosemarie; Sivakanthan, Sivashankar; Deepak, Nikitha; Grindle, Garrett G.; Cooper, Rory A.
    The QLX is a low-profile automatic powered wheelchair docking system (WDS) prototype developed to improve the securement and discomfort of wheelchair users when riding in vehicles. The study evaluates the whole-body vibration effects between the proposed QLX and another WDS (4-point tiedown system) following ISO 2631-1 standards and a systematic usability evaluation. Whole-body vibration analysis was evaluated in wheelchairs using both WDS to dock in a vehicle while riding on real-world surfaces. Also, participants rated the usability of each WDS while driving a wheelchair and while riding in a vehicle in driving tasks. Both WDSs showed similar vibration results within the vibration health-risk margins; but shock values below health-risk margins. Fifteen powered wheelchair users reported low task load demand to operate both WDS; but better performance to dock in vehicles with the QLX (p = 0.03). Also, the QLX showed better usability (p < 0.01), less discomfort (p’s < 0.05), and greater security compared to the 4-point tiedown while riding in a vehicle (p’s < 0.05). Study findings indicate that both WDS maintain low shock exposure for wheelchair users while riding vehicles, but a better performance overall to operate the QLX compared to the 4-point tiedown system; hence enhancing user’s autonomy to dock in vehicles independently.