USE OF A COMPUTER SIMULATOR FOR TRAINING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN THE OPERATION OF A POWERED WHEELCHAIR

Objective. The purpose oft his study was to evaluate the ability of a basic driving simulator program to evaluate and train children with di sabilities in their ability to operate a powered wheelchair. Method. W ith a rating scale of skills considered essential for safe and efficie nt wheelchair operation, 22 children 7 to 22 years of age with either progressive muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy were evaluated in the ir ability to drive a powered wheelchair through a driving course. The y were divided into two groups: one without prior experience driving a powered wheelchair and the other with experience. After the driving a ssessment with an actual powered wheelchair, the inexperienced drivers were trained on a joystick-controlled computer game in which they nav igated through labyrinths similar in layout to their own school enviro nment. A test maze was administered before and after this training. Bo th groups were then evaluated on their ability to drive a powered whee lchair through the driving course. Results. The inexperienced drivers significantly increased their simulator scores over the training perio d. Their wheelchair driving performance was significantly better after the simulator training, although their performance remained poorer th an that of the experienced drivers. Conclusion. A simulator program ca n assist in the development and evaluation of the skills required to o perate a powered wheelchair.