Environmental Barriers Perceived By Wheelchair Bound Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Reporting To A Tertiary Care Rehabilitation Centre : A Cross- Sectional Study.

Yael Jhirad; Vishakha Vijay Meshram

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85059

Environmental Barriers Perceived By Wheelchair Bound Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Reporting To A Tertiary Care Rehabilitation Centre : A Cross- Sectional Study.

Author(s)	Dr. Yael Jhirad, Dr. Vishakha Vijay Meshram
Country	India
Abstract	BACKGROUND: Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) who use wheelchairs encounter various environmental barriers that can affect their lives. This study evaluated perceived environmental barriers experienced by wheelchair users with SCI. PURPOSE: Individual with SCI who are wheelchair bound face environmental barriers that restrict their reintegration and community participation. This study aims to evaluate the environmental barriers with the use of the valid & reliable tool - the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors - Long Form (CHIEF - LF) questionnaire. METHOD: A convenience sample of 30 wheelchair users aged 18- 60 years with Spinal Cord Injury admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai participated in this study. The CHIEF - LF questionnaire was administered to each participant to assess perceived environmental barriers. It consisted of multiple questions pertaining to the five components of environmental barriers faced by SCI wheelchair users: Accessibility, Accommodation, Resource Availability, Support and Equality. Percentage values for the responses for each component were calculated. RESULTS: The findings indicated that 63% of participants perceived accessibility as a major environmental barrier. Accommodation was perceived as a major barrier by 36.99 % of participants, while 48.3% reported resource availability as a major barrier. Social support was perceived as a major barrier by 34.47% of participants, and equality-related barriers were reported as a major concern by 33.61% of participants. CONCLUSION: Wheelchair users with SCI experience environmental barriers across multiple domains, with accessibility emerging as the most frequently reported major barrier. Rehabilitation professionals, particularly Occupational therapists, should identify and address these barriers to facilitate community integration and social participation. This may help Occupational therapists to reduce the environmental barrier, thus facilitating occupational justice for individuals with SCI.
Keywords	spinal cord injury, environmental barriers, Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors - Long Form
Field	Medical / Pharmacy
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-03
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85059

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Environmental Barriers Perceived By Wheelchair Bound Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Reporting To A Tertiary Care Rehabilitation Centre : A Cross- Sectional Study.

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