Satisfaction with and use of assistive devices and services for outdoor mobility

In the Dutch decentralised delivery system, choices of technical aids and mobility services as provided by the Service for the Disabled Act are limited and the potential user population is diverse. In this study, the satisfaction with outdoor mobility provisions and the extent to which mobility problems were met were assessed with a retrospective questionnaire. Areas in the delivery process needing special attention were highlighted. Respondents (516 out of 973) received either a device, access to the shared taxi system or both types of provisions. These 3 groups differed significantly both in their respondent characteristics and the degree of satisfaction. In general, overall satisfaction was high but the percentage of users being ‘not fully satisfied’ varied from 0% to 83% between satisfaction items, combinations of mobility provisions and types of devices. Of the respondents, 23% felt that their mobility problem had not been solved as expected. Service delivery and waiting times for arrival of the taxi were frequent sources of not being fully satisfied.

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