home > news > publication   The Industry Profile on Wheeled Mobility (Download)

Purpose: The Industry Profile on Wheeled Mobility is a very broad and accessible compilation of knowledge pertaining to the wheeled mobility industry and marketplace. The Industry Profile is relevant to the development and refinement of public policy, legislation, grants, products, clinical practice, service delivery, third-party payment, standards, product delivery, and research programs. Anticipating that industries and markets constantly evolve, the Industry Profile includes many recommendations across all topics.

Method: The Industry Profile includes primary research, secondary research and invited chapters. Primary research is based on expert interviews and consumer focus groups. Purposive sampling was used to identify and recruit all interview and focus group participants, broadening and deepening knowledge representation. Focus group participants were expert users of manual wheelchairs and power wheelchairs. Interview participants include expert manufacturers, clinicians, researchers and suppliers. All focus groups and interviews were structured, scripted and moderated in a manner that helps to ensure full coverage of issues, facilitates data analysis and encourages free and open dialogue. Secondary research includes identification, review, compilation and analysis of data obtained from public sources. Secondary sources included government publications, studies and databases, trade journals, research publications, industry and manufacturer websites and product literature. Experts on wheeled mobility were drawn from academe, industry, product suppliers and service delivery. These experts contributed chapters and perspectives in nine topic areas.

Results: The Industry Profile has five expert chapters on: funding and legislation, standards, accessible public transportation, wheelchair transportation safety, along with an interpretive overview. There are four stakeholder perspectives chapters on: research related to mobility and seating/positioning, the role of clinicians in service delivery, mobility product supply and parent's perspective on mobility. The Industry Profile includes two additional chapters on: market demographics and a comparative analysis of consumer and expert perspectives focused on the strengths and weaknesses of current products and direction of and need for technology and product development. Finally, the Industry Profile includes compilations of manufacturers, their contact information and products; conferences and trade shows, and national organizations.

Conclusion: This Industry Profile fills an important need for critical stakeholders of the wheeled mobility industry and market. However, this Industry Profile cannot be regarded as fully complete or fully up to date. Many important topics are not covered in depth. As a consequence, this Industry Profile should be regarded as a foundation for future studies of an important and evolving industry and market.

KEYWORDS
Wheeled Mobility, Wheelchairs, Scooters, Seating, Positioning, Legislation, Medicaid, Medicare Modernization Act, American's with Disabilities Act, Reimbursement, Wheelchair Transportation, Standards, International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health, Service Delivery, Rehabilitation Engineering, RESNA, Assistive Technology Professional, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, NRRTS

Additonal information: Abstract, Table of Contents and Acknowledgement

Download: The Industry Profile on Wheeled Mobility (PDF)

[Top of Page ]