Wheelchair transportation: User perception of safety, availability, and WC19 knowledge

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act motivated efforts to provide wheelchair users with safe and accessible transportation opportunities, primarily by adding accessibility options to public transportation vehicles. In addition, a voluntary safety standard, RESNA WC19, was created to define wheelchair crashworthiness requirements for use in ground vehicles. As the impact of these standards on wheelchair transportation safety remains relatively unknown, the present study aims to characterize the use and knowledge of WC19 wheelchairs and whether existing transportation options are meeting wheelchair users' needs per the ADA. Overall, 69 wheelchair users completed a survey on their knowledge and use of WC19 wheelchairs, as well as their transportation experiences. About half of participants (56.5%) reported prior knowledge of the WC19 standard, 62.5% use WC19 wheelchairs, and 68% of all users report being more interested in obtaining a WC19 wheelchair after survey completion. Personal vehicles (75.4%) and taxi and rideshare services (33.3%) were more commonly used than public transportation. No routinely used public transportation met user needs more than a quarter of the time. Findings demonstrate the need for further research and policy initiatives to promote WC19 use, identify further barriers to WC19 implementation, and improve public transportation to meet wheelchair user needs.