RESNA Standards Committee on Wheelchair and Related Seating (WRS)
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Click here for information about the WC-3 Standard developed and maintained by this committee.
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NEXT MEETING
Contact technicalstandards@resna.org if you're iterested in registering as a meeting observer or joining the commitee as a voting member.
Future meetings are being planned now and the meeting information will be posted soon.
Each standards committee is required to maintain a balance in membership. Anyone is welcome to join the committee, and we are especially looking for consumers, advocates, caregivers, policy experts, payers, and educators. If you would like additional information, please contact the WRS Officers.
Officers
The wheelchair seating options available to the public are vast and varied, and often difficult to navigate when making a clinical or lifestyle selection. Standards are necessary to ensure a common language to describe the potential seating solutions, clinically relevant tests to characterize them, and appropriately engineered protocols for evaluating their safety.
The work of this committee impacts to clinicians, manufacturers, regulatory and policy makers, and most importantly, end users. Experts in test laboratories and in research settings can also have a significant impact on the technical development and execution of the standards. Individuals from all of these areas and backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
Work Program
RESNA WC-3 Wheelchairs Volume 3: Wheelchair Seating
This standard covers wheelchair seating devices that are intended to provide postural support and/or tissue integrity management. It specifies test methods or methods of measurement for: vocabulary; the physical and mechanical characteristics; and static, impact and load strength testing. This standard is useful for manufacturers and suppliers of wheelchair seating devices that are intended to provide postural support and/or tissue integrity management who wish to provide consistent, quality information to clinicians and consumers about their products. The standard includes the following sections:
- Section 1: Vocabulary, reference axis convention and measures for body posture and postural support surfaces
Section 1 applies to seating intended to provide postural support within a wheelchair. It specifies a global coordinate system that permits the determination and recording of a person's posture while seated in a wheelchair, and standard terms and definitions for use in describing posture and the dimensions, location and orientation of seating support surfaces.
- Section 2: Determination of physical and mechanical characteristics of devices intended to manage tissue integrity Seat cushions
Section 2 specifies apparatus, test methods and disclosure requirements for wheelchair seat cushions intended to maintain tissue integrity and prevent tissue trauma.
- Section 3: Determination of static, impact and repetitive load strengths for postural support devices
Section 3 specifies test methods for the determination of static, impact, and repetitive load strengths for postural support devices intended for use with wheelchairs.
- Section 6: Determination of the changes in properties following simulated extended use of seat cushions
Section 6 specifies test methods that simulate aging and characterize the changes in physical and mechanical properties of seat cushions based on the simulated use.
- Section 12: Envelopment testing of seat cushions with dual semispherical indenter
Section 12 specifies a method for the measurement of performance of a wheelchair seat cushions intended to use immersion and envelopment to reduce local areas of pressure. The ability of the cushion to accommodate changes in size and mass are measured to represent the changes that can occur in the life of a user or between users.
ISO Related Activities
ISO / TC 173 Assistive products for persons with disability / SC 1 Wheelchairs
ISO/TC 173/SC 1/WG 11 Wheelchair seating Work program
ISO 7176-7 Wheelchairs Part 7: Measurement of seating and wheel dimensions
ISO 7176-16 Resistance to ignition of upholstered parts Requirements and test methods
ISO 7176-26 Wheelchairs Part 26: Vocabulary
ISO 16840-1 Wheelchair seating Part 1: Vocabulary, reference axis convention and measures for body segments, posture and postural support surfaces
ISO 16840-2 Wheelchair seating Part 2: Determination of physical and mechanical characteristics of devices intended to manage tissue integrity Seat cushions
ISO 16840-3 Wheelchair seating Part 3: Determination of static, impact and repetitive load strengths for postural support devices
ISO 16840-5 Wheelchair seating Part 5: Test methods for determining the pressure relief characteristics of devices intended to manage tissue integrity Seat cushions
ISO 16840-6 Wheelchair seating Part 6: Simulated use and determination of the changes in properties of seat cushions
ISO 16840-12 Wheelchair seating Part 12: Apparatus and method for cushion envelopment testing