Wheelchair Simulation

Recent times have seen an upsurge in interest in the area of “inclusive design” within which access to the built environment has enjoyed a prominent position. There are a number of factors providing the impetus for this, not least a growing awareness of the quality issues incumbent in inclusivity but also there is evidence of a response to the threat of the impending legislation within the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (DDA, 1995). These factors have lead to the production and availability of a range of tools targeting design issues within these sectors. Among these projects are developments at Strathclyde University that sought to combine advanced graphics with an allied haptic interface in order to construct a wheelchair motion platform capable of simulating wheelchair navigation in virtual buildings. This is arguably one of the more sophisticated approaches now on offer yet it still fails to address all the problems that a designer might face regarding access and interaction within our built environment.