Community participation during the cold winter months is difficult for wheeled mobility device (WMD) users. However, limited attention has been given to understanding this problem, and collaboratively identifying solutions with stakeholders. This qualitative study explored the issues faced by key stakeholders (WMD users and Public Works Department employees) regarding use and provision of accessible sidewalks in winter and identified solutions. Eleven participants informed the study through a combination of go-along interviews, key informant interviews, photographs, and meteorological data. Four themes were identified: the context of winter season, winter and wheels interact, winter versus the city, and a framework for winter access and success. Solutions included creating awareness, taking action, and assuming accountability through collaborative efforts and increased information sharing. Based on the perspectives of informed stakeholders this study contributes to the development of focused interventions for overcoming winter sidewalk barriers and thus, enabling winter community participation of WMD users.

Objective : to explore wheeled mobility use by First Nation Elders who live on reserves in Canada. Purpose: to gain an understanding of the importance of Elder cultural participation, the perceptions of the effects of participation on health, how cultural participation has changed since becoming a wheeled mobility user, the barriers to participation, and thoughts on how participation can be improved. Method: A database search of the literature was conducted in an iterative manner from September 2015-June 2017 to locate research related to wheeled mobility. The population of interest was First Nation Elders who live on reserve in Canada. All types of study designs and methods were considered. An interpretive phenomenological study was also conducted in order learn about the lived experiences of First Nation Elder wheeled mobility users in accessing the cultural elements of their communities. Data were collected using a demographic form and a semi-structured interview. Findings: The author did not find any studies on wheeled mobility use by Elders on reserve, or their impacts on cultural participation during the literature review. Several barriers to cultural participation were brought forward during the phenomenological study which included: lack of access to outdoors; lack of transportation; inaccessible paths of travel; lack of access at the events; and feelings of sigma and burden.

Electric mobility scooters are increasing in popularity and are used extensively by individuals with mobility impairments to conduct activities of daily living. Scientific literature on the safety and efficacy of scooters in winter conditions is sparse and the current technical standards for scooters do not mandate testing in these conditions. This study paves the way for more rigorous standard testing by: 1) Describing a novel, motion-capture based method to quantify the tractive performance of scooters; 2) Describing methods to create a wide variety of simulated winter conditions; 3) Presenting pilot-test results of a scooter driven in these winter conditions. The outcomes of this study are significant because it is the first study to evaluate the performance of a scooter in winter conditions. Furthermore, it constitutes the first phase of a broader initiative to develop a rigorous, new winter test method for scooters and drive improvements in safety, performance and design.

Electric mobility scooters are increasing in popularity and are used extensively by individuals with mobility impairments to conduct activities of daily living. Scientific literature on the safety and efficacy of scooters in winter conditions is sparse and the current technical standards for scooters do not mandate testing in these conditions. This study paves the way for more rigorous standard testing by: 1) Describing a novel, motion-capture based method to quantify the tractive performance of scooters; 2) Describing methods to create a wide variety of simulated winter conditions; 3) Presenting pilot-test results of a scooter driven in these winter conditions. The outcomes of this study are significant because it is the first study to evaluate the performance of a scooter in winter conditions. Furthermore, it constitutes the first phase of a broader initiative to develop a rigorous, new winter test method for scooters and drive improvements in safety, performance and design.

<p>Using a cross-sectional design, Bandura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory (1977) were used as a framework to determine whether wheelchairuse self-efficacy and exercise barrier self-efficacy mediate the relationship between wheelchair mobility and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Fourty-six manual wheelchair users (76.1 % male), with varying levels of SCI (80.4% paraplegic, 47.8% complete injuries) participated in this study. Participants completed The Wheelchair Skills Test version 4.1 (Wheelchair Skills Test Version 4.1 [WST 4.1],2008) which measured wheelchair mobility, a modified barrier self-efficacy questionnaire (McAuley & Mihalko, 1998) which measured exercise barrier self-efficacy, the Wheelchair Mobility Confidence Scale (WMCS; Rushton & Miller, 2009) which measured wheelchair-use self-efficacy, and the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for people with SCI (PARA-SCI; Martin Ginis, Latimer, Hicks & Craven, 2005) which measured LTPA. It was hypothesized that (1) there would be a positive relationship between wheelchair mobility and LTPA, and (2) wheelchair-use self-efficacy and exercise barrier self-efficacy would mediate this relationship. Using linear regression models, a positive association between wheelchair mobility and LTPA was established (β = .29, p < .05). Exercise barrier self-efficacy was a significant partial mediator, explaining 47.7% ofthe variance in the mobility-LTPA relationship. Wheelchair-use selfefficacy was a non-significant mediator. This thesis has practical and theoretical implications for understanding and improving LTPA participation and represents the first study to determine the relationship between wheelchair mobility, self-efficacy, and LTPA in people living with SCI.</p> / Master of Science (MS)