The Anthropometrics of Disability - Designing Accessible Communities

need to revise them. People with disabilities are valuable consultants for insuring that
research tasks will not be misinterpreted, embarrassing or invade the privacy of the
participants.
Based on experience in developing methodology for the anthropometry of disability,
work is underway at the RERC on Universal Design at Buffalo, in collaboration with John
Roebuck, to produce an illustrated manual on landmark definition that will include
recommendations for responding to the issues above.
ORGANIZING DATA
Developing consensus on a standardized methodology and training approach could go a
long way toward creating the consistency required for merging small databases into a
larger comprehensive database. Hobson described efforts by an ISO Committee to
standardize terminology, definition and measurement of wheelchair seated posture. This
work could be expanded to include attention to the full spectrum of issues in the
anthropometrics of disability. Since there are many automated data collection tools,
standardization should focus on landmark definitions and standard procedures for
checking reliability and validity. It could also incorporate best practices for different data
collection tools, for example, approaches to avoid distortion with multisensor
electromechanical arrays. Another area for standardization should include the form and
content of databases for use in human modeling systems. This would facilitate the rapid
integration of the databases into analytical and design tools.
Once data has been collected and analyzed, it is critical that it can be organized and
presented in a manner that will be useful for all stakeholders. Here is where human
modeling has great utility because models can be used to generate many different kinds
of data and to visualize it with a high degree of flexibility and accuracy. For example, a
model of a wheelchair user could allow the user to substitute different wheelchairs and fit
them to people with a wide range of different statures. Different views can be taken of
the same model to get different perspectives, and, models can be manipulated into
different postures. Using any model as the basis, many useful analysis tools can be
created to help designers test their work while it is still in the design stage. For example, a
model could be adapted as a tool to explore variations in sight lines for seating. This
would allow architects to understand the implications of their designs on visibility. More
conventional tools like templates or charts can be generated directly from the model as
well.
Most anthropometric surveys focus on the person and thus provide generalized databases,
but it is difficult for the average designer or standards developer to interpret such data.
Specific information is often needed by both groups of “knowledge consumers.” Porter
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