Developing Problematic Performance Value Scores: Binding Routine Activity Performance, Environmental Barriers, and...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Urban Planning
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Community design features pose challenges for individuals with disabilities, impacting physical performance and social integration.
• Limited research exists on Universal Design (UD) applications for these challenges, especially for specific demographics.
• Understanding environmental influences is key to developing inclusive UD solutions for diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate relationships between environmental barriers, health conditions, and routine activity performance.
• Develop an index to evaluate UD performance based on functional capacity.
• Provide evidence of UD effectiveness in creating inclusive built environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Problematic Activities Survey (PAS) in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
• Included participants with and without functional limitations.
• Employed multinomial logit models to develop the Problematic Performance Value (PPV) score.

Main Results:

• Significant disparities in PPVs were found across health conditions, particularly for curb ramps.
• Individuals with mobility impairments (legs/feet, arms/hands, back/neck) face challenges with poorly designed curb ramps.
• Individuals with vision impairments struggle with traffic signals, especially audible signal systems.

Conclusions:

• The PPV score identifies problematic daily activities for diverse populations, guiding environmental design improvements.
• Results inform UD solutions and highlight specific environmental features impacting user performance.
• Promotes equitable space usage by addressing micro-level environmental challenges.