Out-of-home Activity Accessibility Checklist for Parents of Children with Gross Motor Dysfunction

Abstract

Children with gross motor dysfunction face various obstacles when participating in out-of-home activities; activities performed outside the home such as leisure activities and IADLs, compared with children without. Furthermore, their parents may face additional obstacles during outings with their children.There are several factors that would limit the participation of children from out-of-home activities such as gross motor dysfunction [1], maladaptive behaviours [1], family relationships [2], parent fatigue [3,4], unsuitable environments [3,[5][6][7], and attitude and behaviours of the general public [4][5][6]8]. Previous studies mostly examined the participation in out-of-home activities that were focused on leisure or school activities.In terms of environmental assessment, many accessibility checklists had been developed and applied [9][10][11]. These checklists aimed to evaluate how a community, specific place, event and activity etc. accessible for people with disabilities to generate inclusive environment. Therefore, these checklist items did not reflect their individual factors that disturb their participation.The participation in out-of-home activities is also limited for parents when they go out together with their children who have gross motor dysfunction. For example, Davis et al. (2010) indicated that some families of children with gross motor dysfunction gave up leisure activities, such as family trips, due to difficulties in finding convenient barrier-free destinations. In addition to leisure activities, parents may need to go out with their