How children with restricted mobility perceive the accessibility and usability of their home environment

The purpose of this study was to describe how children with restricted mobility perceive accessibility and usability of their home environment. The investigation was carried through a descriptive questionnaire, mailed to children in northern Sweden with the diagnoses of cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular diseases. Eighty-two children completed the questionnaire. The results showed that the children perceived the accessibility of the physical environment in their homes as relatively good while outside the home the environment was less accessible. In the social environment, frequency of peer contacts varied. The present study underscores the challenges of ensuring that children with restricted mobility living in the parental home are able to have an accessible and usable environment in order to perform activities. Limitations of this study included the questionnaire design. Further research should be carried out with children with restricted mobility to obtain a better understanding of how to improve their mobility in their home environment.