The aim of this study was to identify the clothing needs of wheelchair
users using relevant literatures in a global scale and to design a method to
classify the clothing needs into a unified system, in order to generate a map
of wheelchair users’ clothing needs with the information from multiple
resources. The paper reviewed the previous studies about clothing needs and
preference of wheelchair users. A three-tier screening was designed to extract
main findings from the relevant literature. Content analysis and statistical
analysis were used to integrate the information and identify implications. Information
was categorized to represent the attributes of the clothing needs. The paper
provides comprehensive insights about the specific barriers and abstract
demands about the clothing needs of wheelchair users regarding their preference for apparel products. Eight essential attributes relating to the clothing
needs of wheelchair users were identified: functional needs, fit attribute
fabric and fiber, safety issue, aesthetic needs, expressive needs, quality of
life, and extrinsic attributes. The attributes were classified into two general
domains, reflecting the physical challenges and psychological desires of wheelchair
users.
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