Unintended Biases due to Simulated Impairment within Inclusive Mobility Research and Design

Simulated impairment refers to requiring persons without impairments to substitute persons with impairments in endeavors related to training, design creation, or usability testing. However, disability voices and research suggest limited effectiveness, greater distancing, and exclusion. Despite this, the simulation of physical limitations, including that of aging, continue to be used under the assumption that physical tasks and usability ratings do not significantly differ in simulation. In this experiment, age- and sex-matched older adults who use and do not use a manual wheelchair (MWC) are instructed to independently perform a self-paced parallel park using an MWC. The total clearance between obstacles required to perform a collision-free trial was recorded. Thirty-eight volunteers were recruited (MWC-user n=15; Simulated Impairment [SI] n=23). Higher clearance was required by the MWC group, suggesting the use of simulated impairment for motor tasks may result in bias. Open-ended questions revealed self-centered viewpoints, supporting literature that raises inclusion concerns regarding views of an “Other” group. Overall, our results support the direct engagement of target populations during early design to appropriately define user perspectives and needs. Designers should work with the community of people who face limitations rather than substituting their voices with those who may not accurately represent all of their consumer needs.