Development and user validation of driving tasks for a power wheelchair simulator

Mobility is important for participation in daily activities and a power wheelchair (PW) can improve quality of life in individuals with mobility impairments. A VR simulator may be helpful for PW skills training, which is generally seen as insufficient by both clinicians and PW users. In previous work, challenging PW driving activities have been identified by interviews with expert clinicians and PW users. These activities were developed for the McGill Immersive Wheelchair simulator (miWe). Our objective was to validate these driving activities through a group of PW users, who practiced with the miWe simulator at home for two weeks. In interviews, this group made similar comments about the activities as our previous expert clinicians and PW users. They also insisted on the importance of realism in the activities, for the miWe to be useful as a training tool. A PW simulator may be helpful if it provides the practice of activities in specific contexts to complement the basic skills training received in the clinic.