Acccessible Routing Using MyPath: Testing and PAR Feedback on the Data Collection Module

Abstract

People with mobility impairments experience innumerable challenges while navigating the built and natural environment on a daily basis. Among people with mobility impairments, many are wheelchair users. While moving through unfamiliar surroundings, they encounter various path-related barriers which can hinder their travel plan and discourage them from future endeavors. Our research team has identified common path barriers by interviewing multiple wheelchair users and by moving through the built environment and we present those in Fig. 1. The ability to identify the most accessible route from source to destination is crucial for wheelchair users. We have previously proposed MyPath as a personalized accessible routing system for wheelchair users [1]. We have recently completed the data collection operation of MyPath system and initiated alpha testing with the research team members and Participatory Action Research (PAR) group members. In this paper we describe the data collection functionalities of MyPath and discuss the feedback and suggestions of our PAR members. We also describe our future directions for using the collected data and our plan for field testing.