The Anthropometrics of Disability - Designing Accessible Communities

occurred after each group of papers was presented so that it usually addressed
issues common to each set and often expanded on themes established earlier in
previous sessions. At each session of the workshop, about half the time available was
devoted to discussion. Two different note takers recorded the points made. In
addition to the verbal discussion, participants were asked to submit written
recommendations for research, practice and policy for each discussion period. They
wrote their recommendations during or immediately after the discussion on the
papers. About 130 individual recommendations were submitted. Clearly,
participants took that task very seriously. At the end of the Workshop, a wrap up
session focused on a summary and final discussion.
In order to summarize the m ain points of the discussion and the recommendations in
a concise and meaningful way, we used content analysis to group them into 10 main
themes:
1. 1. Increasing standardization in methods
2. 2. Increasing use of functional approaches to research
3. 3. Better organization of knowledge
4. 4. Identifying research priorities
5. 5. Developing computer simulation models
6. 6. Incorporation behavioral and social factors
7. 7. Improving sampling
8. 8. Improving cost effectiveness of research
9. 9. Improving data collection methods
10.Increasing communications and dialogue
Each one of these themes will be discussed below by summarizing the discussion
related to them, reporting specific recommendations and elaborating on the
recommendations with further observations.
1. INCREASING STANDARDIZATION AND CONSENSUS IN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
Much discussion focused on the limitations of previous research. In older studies, the
methods used were so different from study to study that it is difficult to interpret or
utilize the results. In particular, since most previous studies used small samples, the
differences in methods make it impossible to combine findings to create a database
that allows a higher level of generalizability. By standardizing methods, the results
of small or focused studies could be pooled to establish larger databases.
Moreover, it would be possible to compare the results of studies completed with
different populations, e.g., different disabilities, different age groups, etc. Other
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