Developing a taxonomy of the built environment for disability studies. Methodological insights.

Authors

  • Stephanie Gamache 1Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 3Social integration program, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale Nationale installation Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec
  • Yan Grenier 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 4Department of anthropology, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 5Centre interuniversitaire d’études sur les lettres, les arts et les traditions, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
  • Patrick Fougeyrollas 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 4Department of anthropology, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
  • Geoffrey Edwards 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 6Geomatics Department, Faculty of Forestry, geography and geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 7Center for Research in Geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
  • Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 6Geomatics Department, Faculty of Forestry, geography and geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 7Center for Research in Geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v7i2.130

Keywords:

Taxonomy, politics, disability, physical environment

Abstract

For a city to be inclusive, its physical environment needs to be identified, characterized and assessed prior to transformations and improvements. Such identification is the first step to impact on politics for citizens with impairments and functional limitations since environmental obstacles limits their social participation. The objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive and applicable information set for the description of the physical environment in support of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in Quebec City’s context. We developed a taxonomy based on the Human Development Model – Disability Creation Process (HDM-DCP). We reviewed documents containing nomenclatures with respect to the specific case of Quebec City’s physical environment. We organized the information under the original taxa of the HDM-DCP, this was carried out via an iterative process where elements of similar type were organized into a common level of one hierarchical branch under general categories. When categories linking objects to broader subcategories were not already identified, we expanded the structure by creating new sub-categories or hybrids. Applicability of the developed taxonomy was tested through field analyses and testing (photos of street sections) to determine whether it included all objects and infrastructures observed in the city. The resulting taxonomy was found to be useful in identifying/mapping elements of the physical environment. Both at the individual and collective level, it allows the identification of the elements that play a role in mobility, resulting in enhanced social participation or disabling situations for people with disabilities.

Author Biographies

Stephanie Gamache, 1Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 3Social integration program, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale Nationale installation Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec

Occupational therapist at the Programme en intégration communautaire at the CIUSSS-CN and Ph.D. candidate at the University Laval in clinical and biomedical sciences

Yan Grenier, 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 4Department of anthropology, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 5Centre interuniversitaire d’études sur les lettres, les arts et les traditions, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada

Ph.D. candidate in anthropology

Patrick Fougeyrollas, 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 4Department of anthropology, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada

Researcher at the CIRRIS and associate professor in anthropology at the University Laval

Geoffrey Edwards, 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 6Geomatics Department, Faculty of Forestry, geography and geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 7Center for Research in Geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada

Researcher at the CIRRIS and the CRG and full professor in geomatics at the University Laval

Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi, 2Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada; 6Geomatics Department, Faculty of Forestry, geography and geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; 7Center for Research in Geomatics, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada

Researcher at the CIRRIS and the CRG and full professor in geomatics at the University Laval

References

Americans with disabilities act [ADA]. (1995). ADA accessibility checklist for existing facilities. Retrieved 2010-09-28, from www.ada.gov/racheck.pdf

Badley, E. M. (2008). Enhancing the conceptual clarity of the activity and participation components of the International Classification of Functioning. Disability and Health, Social Science and Medicine, 66(11), 2335-2345. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.0263

Barnes, C. (2011). Understanding disability and the importance of design for all. Journal of accessibility and design for all, 1(1), 55-80. doi:10.17411/jacces.v1i1.81

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American psychologist, 32(7), 513. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.32.7.513

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.3.473

Brownson, R. C., Chang, J. J., Eyler, A. A., Ainsworth, B. E., Kirtland, K. A., Saelens, B. E., et al. (2004). Measuring the environment for friendliness toward physical activity: a comparison of the reliability of 3 questionnaires. American Journal of Public Health, 94(3), 473-483. doi:10.2105%2Fajph.94.3.473

Clifton, K. J., Smith, A. D. L., & Rodriguez, D. (2007). The development and testing of an audit for the pedestrian environment. Landscape and Urban Planning, 80(1-2), 95-110. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2006.06.008

Cooper, B. A., Cohen, U., & Hasselkus, B. R. (1991). Barrier-free design: a review and critique of the occupational therapy perspective. Am J Occup Ther, 45(4), 344-350. doi:10.5014/ajot.45.4.344

Deliot-Lefevre, P. (2006). L'accessibilité des cadres bâtis, des lieux publics et des transports. Gérontologie et Société, 4(119), 11-23. doi: 10.3917/gs.119.0011

Desrosiers, J., Noreau, L., Robichaud, L., Fougeyrollas, P., Rochette, A., & Viscogliosi, C. (2004). Validity of the assessment of life habits in older adults. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 36(4), 177–182. doi:10.1080/16501970410027485

Edwards, G., Noreau, L., Boucher, N., Fougeyrollas, P., Grenier, Y., McFadyen, B. J., … Vincent, C. (2014). Disability, Rehabilitation Research and Post-Cartesian Embodied Ontologies – Has the Research Paradigm Changed? Research in Social Science and Disability, 73–102. doi:10.1108/s1479-354720140000008005

Fougeyrollas, P. (1995). Documenting environmental factors for preventing the handicap creation process: Quebec contributions relating to ICIDH and social participation of people with functional differences. Disability and Rehabilitation, 17(3-4), 145–153. doi:10.3109/09638289509166709

Fougeyrollas, P. (2010). Le funambule, le fil et la toile: Les Presses de l’Université Laval. ISBN 9782763710068.

Fougeyrollas, P., & Beauregard, L. (2001). Disability: An Interactive Person-Environment Social Creation. In G. L. Albrecht, K. D. Seelman & M. Burry (Eds.), (pp. 171-194). Thousand Oaks, Californie: Sage.

Fougeyrollas, P., Cloutier, R., Bergeron, H., St-Michel, G., Côté, J., Côté, M., et al. (1999). The Quebec classification: Disability creation process: Québec RIPPH/SCCIDIH.

Fougeyrollas, P., Noreau, L., Bergeron, H., Cloutier, R., Dion, S. A., & St Michel, G. (1998). Social Consequences of Long Term Impairments and Disabilities: Conceptual Approach and Assessment of Handicap. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 21(2), 127–142. doi:10.1097/00004356-199806000-00002

Fougeyrollas, P., Noreau, L., St-Michel, G., & Boschen, K. (2002). Measure of the quality of the environment, Version 2.0. Lac St-Charles, Quebec: INDCP.

Gamache, S., Vincent, C., Routhier, F., McFadyen, B. J., Beauregard, L., & Fiset, D. (2016). Development of a measure of accessibility to urban infrastructures: a content validity study. Medical Research Archives, 4(5), 1-25. Retrieved from http://journals.ke-i.org/index.php/mra/article/view/603

Gamache, S., Vincent, C., Routhier, F., McFadyen, B. J., Routhier, F., Beauregard, L., et al. (2016). Measure of accessibility to urban infrastructures for adults with physical disabilities (MAUAP): inter-rater reliability study. Medical Research Archives, 4(5), 1-14. Retrieved from http://journals.ke-i.org/index.php/mra/article/view/605

Gharebaghi A. et al. (2017) A Confidence-Based Approach for the Assessment of Accessibility of Pedestrian Network for Manual Wheelchair Users. In: Peterson M. (eds) Advances in Cartography and GIScience. ICACI 2017. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-57336-6_32

Revision of the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights with a view to achieving social, school and workplace integration, chapter E-20.1 C.F.R. (2004). Retrieved from: http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/E-20.1

Gray, D. B., Hollingsworth, H. H., Stark, S., & Morgan, K. A. (2008). A subjective measure of environmental facilitators and barriers to participation for people with mobility limitations. Disability and rehabilitation, 30(6), 434-457. doi:10.1080/09638280701625377

Gregg, J. R. (1954). The language of taxonomy. New York: Columbia University Press. Google Scholars

Harvey, D. (2008). The Right to the City. New Left Review 53, September-October(53), 23-40. Retrieved from https://newleftreview.org/II/53/david-harvey-the-right-to-the-city

Hoehner, C. M., Ivy, A., Ramirez, L. K. B., Handy, S., & Brownson, R. C. (2007). Active Neighborhood Checklist: A User-Friendly and Reliable Tool for Assessing Activity Friendliness. American Journal of Health Promotion, 21(6), 534–537. doi:10.4278/0890-1171-21.6.534

Imrie, R. (2004). Demystifying disability: a review of the ICF. Sociology of health and Illness, 26(3), 287-305. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2004.00391.x

Kentucky Cabinet for Workforce Development, K. D. o. V. R. (2012). Accessibility checklist. Retrieved from http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1709F1E9-35ED-4E01-9FAD-CACC5ADEEC60/0/accessibilitychecklist2012.pdf

Kirchner, C. E., Gerber, E. G., & Smith, B. C. (2008). Designed to deter. Community barriers to physical activity for people with visual or motor impairments. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(4), 349-352.doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.01.005

Lang, R. (2009). The United Nations Convention on the right and dignities for persons with disability: A panacea for ending disability discrimination? ALTER - European Journal of Disability Research / Revue Européenne de Recherche sur le Handicap, 3(3), 266-285.

Lang, R., Kett, M., Groce, N., & Trani, J.-F. (2011). Implementing the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities: principles, implications, practice and limitations. ALTER - European Journal of Disability Research / Revue Européenne de Recherche sur le Handicap, 5(3), 206-220.

Law, M. (1991). The Environment: A Focus for Occupational Therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 58(4), 171–179. doi:10.1177/000841749105800404

Lee, S. M., Tudor-Locke, C., & Burns, E. K. (2008). Application of a walking suitability assessment to the immediate built environment surrounding elementary schools. Health promotion practice, 9(3), 246-252. doi: 10.1177/1524839907301403

Lefebvre, H. (1968). Le Droit à la Ville. Paris: Éditions du Seuil.

Levasseur, M., Desrosiers, J., & St-Cyr, T. (2008). Do quality of life, participation and environment of older adults differ along to level of activity. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 6-30. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-6-30

Levasseur, M., Desrosiers, J., & Tribble, D. S.-C. (2007). Comparing the Disability Creation Process and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Models. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(3_suppl), 233–242. doi:10.1177/00084174070740s303

Masala, C., & Petretto, D. R. (2008). From disablement to enablement: Conceptual models of disability in the 20th century. Disability and Rehabilitation, 30(17), 1233–1244. doi:10.1080/09638280701602418

Masala, C., & Petretto, D. R. (2010). Models of Disability. In M. B. JH Stone, editors. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation.

McClain, L., Lutz, J., Salmans, D., & Wright, S. (1999). Shopping Mall Wheelchair Accessibility Checklist Based on the ADA Guidelines. Occupational Therapy In Health Care, 11(4), 41–66. doi:10.1300/j003v11n04_05

McClain, L., Medrano, D., Marcum, M., & Schukar, J. (2000). A qualitative assessment of wheelchair users' experience with ADA compliance, physical barriers, and secondary health conditions. Top Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 6(1), 99-118. doi:10.1310/enap-y4e7-rg05-6yv5

Measuring up program-2010 Legacies Now- Accessible Tourism Strategy. (2008). Non-accomodation checklist. Measuring up built environment self-assessment guidelines. Retrieved 2010-09-15, from www.2010legaciesnow.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Measuring_Up/Starting_Up/Built_Environment_Self-Assessment_Tool.doc

Mégret, F. (2008). The Disabilities Convention: Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities or Disability Rights? Human Rights Quarterly, 30(2), 494–516.doi:10.1353/hrq.0.0000

Millington, C., Ward Thompson, C., Rowe, D., Aspinall, P., Fitzsimons, C., Nelson, N., et al. (2009). Development of the Scottish Walkability Assessment Tool (SWAT). Health Place, 15(2), 474-481. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.09.007

Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux. (2003). Pour une véritable participation à la vie de la communauté.

Noreau, L., Fougeyrollas, P., & Boschen, K. (2002). Perceived Influence of the Environment and Social Participation among Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 7(3), 56-72. doi:10.1310/1uga-ey2t-n6xp-1phe

Oliver, M. (1990). The Politics of Disablement.

Organization, W. H. (2001). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: ICF: World Health Organization.

Palmer, M., & Harley, D. (2012). Models and measurement in disability: an international review. Health Policy and Planning, 27(5), 357-364. doi:10.1093/heapol/czr047

Quinn, G. (2008). Implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-The Institutional Architecture for Change. . Paper presented at the In Keynote Address: Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, United National Headquarters.

Riddle, C. A. (2013). The Ontology of Impairment: Rethinking How We Define Disability. Disability Studies: Critical Issues and Future Developments, 23-39.

Rimmer, J. H., Riley, B., Wang, E., & Rauworth, A. (2004). Development and validation of AIMFREE: Accessibility Instruments Measuring Fitness and Recreation Environments. Disability and Rehabilitation, 26(18), 1087–1095. doi:10.1080/09638280410001711432

Rivano-Fischer, D. (2004). Wheelchair accessibility of public buildings in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Disability and Rehabilitation, 26(19), 1150–1157. doi:10.1080/096382804100017214843

Saelens, B. E., Sallis, J. F., Black, J. B., & Chen, D. (2003). Neighborhood-Based Differences in Physical Activity: An Environment Scale Evaluation. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1552–1558. doi:10.2105/ajph.93.9.1552

Schneidert, M., Hurst, R., Miller, J., & Üstün, B. (2003). The role of environment in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Disability and rehabilitation, 25(11-12), 588-595.

Service de l’aménagement du territoire de la Ville de Québec. (2010). Guide pratique d’accessibilité universelle [Quebec City's Practical guide to universal accessibility]. from http://www.irdpq.qc.ca/nos-services/accessibilite-universelle/guide-pratique-daccessibilite-universelle

Shakespeare, T. (2015). Disability Research Today: International Perspectives: Routledge.

Shakespeare, T., & Watson, N. (2001). The social model of disability: an outdated ideology? Research in Social Science and Disability, 2, 9-28. doi: 10.1016/s1479-3547(01)80018-x

Shumway-Cook, A., Patla, A., Stewart, A. L., Ferrucci, L., Ciol, M. A., & Guralnik, J. M. (2005). Assessing environmentally determined mobility disability: self-report versus observed community mobility. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53(4), 700-704. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53222.x

Spivock, M., Gauvin, L., & Brodeur, J. M. (2007). Neighborhood-level active living buoys for individuals with physical disabilities. American journal of preventive medicine, 32(3), 224-230. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2006.11.006

Tøssebro, J. (2004). Understanding disability: Introduction to the special issues of SJDR. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 6(1), 3-7.

Tranter, R. T., Slater, R., & Vaughan, N. (1991). Barriers to mobility: physically-disabled and frail elderly people in their local outdoor environment. International journal of rehabilitation research, 14(4), 303-312. doi:10.1097/00004356-199112000-00003

United, N. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Üstün, T. B., Chatterji, S., Bickenbach, J., Kostanjsek, N., & Schneider, M. (2003). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: a new tool for understanding disability and health. Disability and rehabilitation, 25(11-12), 565-571. doi:10.1080/0963828031000137063

Vehmas, S., & Makela, P. (2008). A realist account of the ontology of impairment. Journal of Medical Ethics, 34(2), 93–95. doi:10.1136/jme.2006.019042

Whitehead, A. N. (1967). Science and the Modern World: Free Press.

Whiteneck, G., & Dijkers, M. P. (2009). Difficult to measure constructs: conceptual and methodological issues concerning participation and environmental factors. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 90(11), S22-S35.

Downloads

Published

2017-11-30

How to Cite

Gamache, S., Grenier, Y., Fougeyrollas, P., Edwards, G., & Mostafavi, M. A. (2017). Developing a taxonomy of the built environment for disability studies. Methodological insights. Journal of Accessibility and Design for All, 7(2), 236–265. https://doi.org/10.17411/jacces.v7i2.130