Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the clothing needs of wheelchair users using relevant literatures in a global scale and to design a method to classify the clothing needs into a unified system, in order to generate a map of wheelchair users’ clothing needs with the information from multiple resources. The paper reviewed the previous studies about clothing needs and preference of wheelchair users. A three-tier screening was designed to extract main findings from the relevant literature. Content analysis and statistical analysis were used to integrate the information and identify implications. Information was categorized to represent the attributes of the clothing needs. The paper provides comprehensive insights about the specific barriers and abstract demands about the clothing needs of wheelchair users regarding their preference for apparel products. Eight essential attributes relating to the clothing needs of wheelchair users were identified: functional needs, fit attribute fabric and fiber, safety issue, aesthetic needs, expressive needs, quality of life, and extrinsic attributes. The attributes were classified into two general domains, reflecting the physical challenges and psychological desires of wheelchair users.
Highlights
Wheelchair users are one of the types among the disabled and patients
Eight essential attributes relating to the clothing needs of wheelchair users were identified: functional needs, fit attribute fabric and fiber, safety issue, aesthetic needs, expressive needs, quality of life, and extrinsic attributes
The findings provide a comprehensive knowledge about the basic research progress regarding the apparel for wheelchair users
Summary
Wheelchair users are one of the types among the disabled and patients. The term “wheelchair user” is explained as “a person who is unable to walk through injury, illness, etc., and relies on a wheelchair to move around” according to Collin dictionary [1]. It means that the person is permanently keeping a seated poster in the wheelchair rather than standing [5] [6], and the posture leads to the direct problems of dependency on technical aid, restriction within the wheelchair, or even indirect function problems such as the atrophy of the leg muscle [5], poor blood circulation [7] and reduction of sensation [8]. Hui chair users and 2) to analyze the clothing needs into a systematic sequence
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