A qualitative assessment of wheelchair users' experience with ADA compliance, physical barriers, and secondary health conditions

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) Title III mandates that public goods and services are to be accessible to persons with disabilities. A decade has passed and monitoring is cumbersome. It is actually individuals' perceptions of communities' accessibility that is crucial. In this study, the impact of physical barriers upon five men's access to the community and issues of isolation and secondary health conditions are explored. The following themes emerged in our research: (1)marked ADA knowledge and value variability; (2) persistence of physical barriers; (3) isolation experiences; (4) the attitude of settling for less; and (5) secondary health conditions (depression, inadequate exercise opportunity, pain, and neurological issues).