Initial validation and feasibility of a Standardized Navigation Of Winter Mobility & Accessibility Network (SNOWMAN) course for wheelchairs.

Many Canadian manual wheelchair users face many challenges in winter months such as slippage on ice- or snow-covered ramps, snow windrows, and casters becoming stuck in deep or hard packed snow. These barriers impact wheelchair users' ability to participate in the community. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and feasibility of a winter wheelchair obstacle course known as the Standardized Navigation Of Winter Mobility & Accessibility Network (SNOWMAN).

Should I stay or should I go? An exploratory study comparing wheelchair-adapted rowing at home vs. in community gyms.

Purpose: Wheelchair users experience many barriers to physical activity as affordable and accessible exercise equipment options are limited. Thus, the home-based adapted rower (aROW) and gym-based aROW were developed. The objectives were to determine: 1) wheelchair users' preferences, perspectives, facilitators, and barriers to using the home-based versus the gym-based aROW, 2) perceived usability of the home and gym aROWs, and 3) recommendations to adapt the aROW further for home and community use.

Development of the Standardized Navigation Of Winter Mobility & Accessibility Network (SNOWMAN) course.

Introduction: Manual wheelchairs (MWC) users have limited mobility during winter months as they encounter many environmental barriers that restrict their community participation. This paper outlines the creation and standardization of an outdoor environment designed to simulate the real-life conditions and obstacles experienced by MWC users in winter.

Methods And Results: This study consisted of four phases.

Changes in functioning and health during the first 6-months of the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with a spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Single-cohort longitudinal survey design.

Objectives: To identify what ongoing impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on functioning and health in individuals with SCI. Using the ICF model as a guide, outcome measures were chosen to explore potential constructs and aspects of health and functioning which may have been affected by regulations.

Accessible exercise for wheelchair users: comparing the usability of two adapted exercise machines.

Introduction: Exercise is an important occupation for wheelchair users. Limited access to adapted aerobic exercise equipment in the community and lack of knowledge on how to exercise are barriers to exercise participation among wheelchair users. To address these barriers, the adapted rower (aROW) and adapted skier (aSKI) exercise machines and educational materials were created.

Quality of Physical Activity Participation Among Adults with Disabilities Through Pandemic Restriction.

Physical activity (PA) is essential for maintaining well-being in adults with disabilities. This population experienced reduced PA during the COVID-19 pandemic; yet, the impact on quality of PA participation remains unclear. This secondary analysis explored how pandemic restrictions impacted six experiential dimensions of quality of PA participation among adults with disabilities.

Providing Accessible ReCreation Outdoors-User-Driven Research on Standards: Protocol for Mobile and Web-Based Interviews for Winter Assessments.

Background: Although there have been recent efforts to improve access to Canadian national parks, many remain not fully accessible to people with disabilities. Winter conditions, in particular, present challenges that limit their participation in outdoor activities.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a novel method to assess park access during winter, which will inform recommendations for national park standards to meet the needs of all park visitors (regardless of ability) during winter conditions.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Related Lived Experiences of Individuals With a Spinal Cord Injury/Disease.

Introduction: COVID-19 related restrictions and recommendations have impacted everyone. Those living with a disability, such as individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI), may have had pandemic related changes made yet more challenging by societal failures to accommodate their mobility, physical abilities, and health care needs. To better understand participants experiences we drew upon Heidegger's phenomenology and the mobilities paradigm.

Standing power wheelchairs and their use by children and youth with mobility limitations: an interrupted time series.

Unlabelled: Standing power wheelchairs (PWSDs) expand positioning and mobility options for individuals with motor impairments. Although more available, little is known about how PWSDs are used in everyday life.

Purpose: to describe children's use of PWSDs in the first three months post-wheelchair delivery and the impacts on satisfaction with participation in daily life.

Providing Accessible Recreation Outdoors-User-Driven Research on Standards (PARCOURS): Protocol for a Multiphase Study.

Background: Canada's national parks are world-renowned. However, despite recent attempts to improve access, many are not accessible to people with disabilities. With the advent of provincial and federal legislation, standards are being developed to assist with the design and management of parks.

Offline and Real-Time Implementation of a Terrain Classification Pipeline for Pushrim-Activated Power-Assisted Wheelchairs.

Pushrim-activated power-assisted wheelchairs (PAPAWs) are assistive technologies that provide propulsion assist to wheelchair users and enable access to various indoor and outdoor terrains. Therefore, it is beneficial to use PAPAW controllers that adapt to different terrain conditions. To achieve this objective, terrain classification techniques can be used as an integral part of the control architecture.

Evaluation of two power assist systems for manual wheelchairs for usability, performance and mobility: a pilot study.

Background: Power-assist devices for manual wheelchairs offer benefits, including increased community participation. Several power-assist devices are commercially available, but research on benefits and limitations of devices is limited.

Objective: To compare the usability, performance, and mobility of two power-assist device systems for manual wheelchairs in indoor and outdoor environments.

Comparison of Manual Wheelchair and Pushrim-Activated Power-Assisted Wheelchair Propulsion Characteristics during Common Over-Ground Maneuvers.

Pushrim-activated power-assisted wheels (PAPAWs) are assistive technologies that use force sensor data to provide on-demand propulsion assistance to manual wheelchair users. However, available data about kinetic and kinematic of PAPAW use are mainly limited to experiments performed on a treadmill or using a dynamometer. In this work, we performed experiments to gather kinetics of wheelchair propulsion and kinematics of wheelchair motion for a variety of over-ground wheelchair maneuvers with a manual wheelchair with and without PAPAWs.

Perception of autonomy among people who use wheeled mobility assistive devices: dependence on environment and contextual factors.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the perceived autonomy of people using wheeled mobility assistive devices (WMADs) in five community-based environments. To evaluate how personal, environmental, and assistive device-related factors impact the perceived autonomy of WMAD users.

Method: A study-specific questionnaire was used to evaluate perceived satisfaction of WMAD users with their autonomy in five environments: the Home Environment, Buildings Outside of the Home Environment, Outdoor Built Environment, Outdoor Natural Environment, and Transportation.

The Impact of COVID-19-Related Restrictions on Social and Daily Activities of Parents, People With Disabilities, and Older Adults: Protocol for a Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people's daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults.

Objective: We aim to (1) investigate how COVID-19 restrictions influence daily activities, (2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time, and (3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions.

Perception of autonomy among people who use wheeled mobility assistive devices: Dependence on the type of wheeled assistive technology.

We evaluated perceived autonomy among users of different types of wheeled mobility assistive devices (WMADs) across five environments and identified the effect on user autonomy due to specific device characteristics. A study-specific questionnaire was used to assess satisfaction with autonomy of WMAD users in the Home, Buildings Outside of the Home, Outdoor Built, Outdoor Natural Environment, and Transportation. For each environment, 15 contextual factors were rated for their impact on participants' autonomy.

Perceptions of power-assist devices: interviews with manual wheelchair users.

Purpose: The study had three main objectives. (1) To investigate the perceived impact of power-assist devices (PADs) on manual wheelchair (MWC) user mobility. (2) To compare perceptions about different types of PADs.

Design of an mHealth application for winter mobility for mobility device users.

Background: There is limited evidence on the strategies, resources, and tools shown to improve winter mobility and community participation.

Objective: This paper describes a multifaceted approach taken to develop an mHealth application that provides information, resources, and strategies to facilitate winter mobility for mobility device users, service providers, community organisations, and researchers.

Methods: The study was conducted in three phases: (1) A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was completed to identify literature that reported on tools, strategies, resources, and recommendations used to promote winter mobility; (2) Online asynchronous focus groups were conducted to identify the type of content that mobility device users wanted to include in the web-based application; and (3) A prototype mHealth application was developed based on the findings from the previous phases.

Exploring exercise participation and the usability of the adaptive rower and arm crank ergometer through wheelchair users' perspectives.

Purpose: Arm crank ergometry and adaptive rowing are existing exercise options for wheelchairs users, but not commonly available. This study was conducted to explore exercise participation of wheelchair users, as well as the usability of the adaptive rowing ergometer (aROW) and arm crank ergometer (ACE).

Methods: This mixed-methods study used a concurrent triangulation design.

Development of A Learning-Based Terrain Classification Framework for Pushrim-Activated Power-Assisted Wheelchairs.

Pushrim-activated power-assisted wheels (PAPAWs) are assistive technologies that provide on-demand torque assistance to wheelchair users. Although the available power can reduce the physical load of wheelchair propulsion, it may also cause maneuverability and controllability issues. Commercially-available PAPAW controllers are insensitive to environmental changes, leading to inefficient and/or unsafe wheelchair movements.

Evaluation of the Nino® Two-Wheeled Power Mobility Device: A Pilot Study.

Novel technologies such as the Nino® two-wheeled powered mobility device are promoted as offering an intuitive improved experience compared to conventional wheelchair mobility use. The Nino® has a smaller footprint than a power wheelchair, a zero-degree turning radius, tiller-based steering, and relies on the user leaning forwards and back to move and brake. This study aimed to evaluate manual wheelchair users' ability to use the Nino® to complete a variety of wheelchair skills, and also investigated task demand, user confidence, and user perceptions.

Use of actigraphy to measure real-world physical activities in manual wheelchair users.

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity for manual wheelchair users are well-known. The purpose of this study was to validate actigraphy to objectively measure physical activity intensity among manual wheelchair users.

Method: An experimental design was used.

Translating the international scientific spinal cord injury exercise guidelines into community and clinical practice guidelines: a Canadian evidence-informed resource.

Study Design: Knowledge translation (KT) study.

Objectives: To demonstrate how to use systematic, community-engaged methods to (1) translate the international scientific spinal cord injury (SCI) exercise guidelines into community and clinical practice guidelines, and (2) develop supporting resources.

Setting: Canada.

Outdoor recreation among wheeled mobility users: perceived barriers and facilitators.

Purpose: Participation in outdoor recreation is associated with improvements in mental, emotional, and physical health. Individuals with impairments affecting mobility, such as wheelchair users, face environmental, physical, and social barriers to participation in outdoor recreation. There is limited research on outdoor recreation participation among wheelchair users, especially concerning informal recreational opportunities.