Case Study
Workplaces for wheelchair users

Wheelchair users are dependent on the use of assistive products for locomotion or mobility due to a congenital or acquired physical disability caused by an accident or illness.

The disability results in an impairment of locomotion due to damage to the musculoskeletal system or other organic damage. The most common manifestations are based on damage:

• to the central nervous system (e.g. paraplegia, spina bifida or open spine, cerebral movement disorders and Parkinson's disease),
• to the skeletal system (e.g. back disease, joint deformities and malformations of the skeletal system)
• due to amputations,
• due to muscular system disorders (e.g. muscle atrophy and muscular dystrophy). Muscle atrophy and muscular dystrophy) or
• due to inflammatory illnesses of the bones and joints (e.g. rheumatism).

The damage can lead to physical functional limitations or loss of function of the limbs, torso, large joints (hips and knees), spine, cardiovascular system, bladder or intestines.
In general, wheelchair users have limited mobility, limited reach, limited strength due to their seated posture, among other things, and are unable or no longer able to assume certain postures, such as primarily standing.

In order to achieve a high level of performance, the wheelchair must be selected in such a way that the individual abilities of the person concerned can be optimally utilized and the work tasks can be carried out as independently as possible. Body dimensions, body weight, strength capacity of the hand-arm-shoulder system, mobility of the hand-arm-shoulder system and other possible effects of the individual disability must be taken into account. Special effects of disabilities such as amputations, spinal curvatures, etc. must be taken into account by means of appropriate wheelchair accessories or individual orthopaedic adaptations. Doctors, occupational therapists, occupational therapists and orthopaedic specialists take care of these tasks. At the workplace itself, the work table and the work equipment required by the person must be adapted to their changed abilities. This includes a work table that can be driven under and adapted to the individual sitting height of the wheelchair user. Problems can always arise if the reaching and visual space is restricted as a result of the only possible sitting position and the physical strength required to carry out the activity is not satisfactory. The handling of folders that are often required at office workstations, which are stored in cupboards or on shelves, cannot be carried out by wheelchair users without the use of assistive products or other people. Office paternoster shelving (mobile shelving) or wheelchairs with an upright function (standing wheelchairs) enable such activities to be carried out independently, with standing wheelchairs in particular enabling more flexible compensation of the limited reach space at any point in the work area and environment. They also enable communication at eye level and therefore play a role that should not be underestimated from a socio-psychological perspective. At workplaces in production, the problem of limited reach space can be compensated for by appropriate assistive products for material handling (e.g. feed and removal devices). It should by no means be assumed that the workplace of wheelchair users should be exclusively static. On the contrary, it is particularly important for wheelchair users to activate the cardiovascular system by moving the shoulder-hand-arm system.

It is crucial that barriers such as stairs, steep/narrow paths and small movement areas that prevent people from carrying out their work, reaching/leaving the workplace, attending meetings, using the canteen, social rooms and toilets, for example, are identified and removed. This can be achieved by:

• adapting door widths, paths and surfaces
• automatic opening of difficult-to-open doors
• using light switches, door/window handles, doorbells and intercoms that are accessible to wheelchair users
• non-slip floor coverings with the lowest possible rolling resistance
• ramps and lifts

Barriers can also be removed by moving to another work area, e.g. to the first floor or to a more easily accessible room. The use of existing home office options, especially for office work, in conjunction with an increased digital way of working, can also help to reduce or avoid time-consuming commuting or business trips. If public transport cannot be used for the commute, a car can be adapted to be suitable for disabled people - e.g. to be used entirely by hand (accelerator, brake, clutch / automatic transmission) if the leg and foot function is lost - thus ensuring the mobility required to travel to work. If the journey to work is made by car, an appropriate parking space should be made available near the entrance to the company building and designated accordingly.
For reasons of occupational health and safety, it must be checked to what extent special measures for evacuation in dangerous situations (fire, etc.) and for reporting an emergency situation must be taken at the workplace for employees with disabilities.) and for reporting an emergency situation when going to the toilet.

Assistive products used: - Display of products:
Toilets
Toilet roll holder
Washbasin
Mirror
Vehicle accessories and adaptations
Wheelchairs with push rim drive on both sides
Electric wheelchairs
fixed handle bars and support handles
Door opener and door closer
Window openers and closers
Sun visor opener and closer
Doors
Ramps
Lifts
Stairlifts with platform
Rescue equipment
Personal emergency call systems
Keyboards
Computer display devices
Software for operating electrical appliances
Accessories for assistive products for the operation and control of electrical appliances
Work tables
Storage and supply systems (carousels)

Not all adaptation problems can always be solved by using assistive products and removing barriers. Work organization measures, such as transferring parts of the work task to other people or moving the affected employees to a workplace with more suitable work content, can also successfully support inclusion and help to make better use of potential. Individual adaptations to working hours (e.g. by switching to part-time work) may be necessary to ensure permanently tolerable workloads and satisfactory time for necessary rehabilitation measures, medical examinations or treatment. Care should also be taken to ensure that the employees concerned have the same access and participation opportunities as other colleagues when it comes to training, instruction and information. This statement also applies to consideration for possible promotions. Examination or assessment procedures must be designed in such a way that disadvantages are avoided.

also many practical examples of work design for wheelchair users.

Rehabilitation and participation benefits are available to all people who are disabled or at risk of becoming disabled. Benefits for participation in working life include:

• assistance to maintain or obtain a workplace, including counseling and placement services, training measures and mobility assistance,
• benefits for employers (training subsidies for in-company training). Employers (training allowances for in-company training, integration allowances, allowances for work aids in the company, partial or full reimbursement of costs for a temporary trial employment),
• services in vocational rehabilitation facilities,
• vocational preparation, vocational adaptation, training, further education including a school-leaving certificate, which is required to participate in further vocational training,
• services in the entry procedure, vocational training and work area in workshops for people with disabilities (WfbM) and
• other assistance to promote participation in working life in order to enable and maintain appropriate and suitable employment or self-employment for people with disabilities.

The rehabilitation providers of benefits for participation can be

• the statutory health insurance funds,