Dear Members,

Edinburgh Napier University are recruiting volunteers as participants in their inclusive kerb rig experiment.

They have made substantial progress in the experiment; however, they need more participants in physical movement at moderate to severe but not wheelchair level (walker) to take part.

What is this study about?
Edinburgh Napier University and the transport Consultancy Mott MacDonald are collaborating on a project for Transport Scotland and the Scottish Road Safety Board to evidence people's experiences of Kerbs on roadways. Street design inclusiveness is part of the efforts to ensure that people with different levels of capability are considered in the design of Places and transport. As such, inclusive kerbs are part of the effort to ensure that populations such as those with low vision or physical capability can traverse our streets with low stress, and little or no difficulty or risk of incident. This study looks at how you feel and think when traversing kerbs on a safe rig surface in the laboratory. Findings from this work will inform the design of new inclusive kerbs under consideration in Scotland and will be published in the Transport Scotland Report and Transport Journals. The study will recruit participants with varying degrees of capability in all areas.

What would taking part involve?

Taking part in this study will include the following stages:

1. The participant will be met by the Researcher who will introduce you to the Lab and go through this briefing sheet. Also, there is waiting room where refreshments will be available and that is comfortable for relaxation.

2.      The participant will be invited to sign the consent form.

3.      The Researcher will introduce the Laboratory where the rig is set-up and explain the following stages.

a.       You will be asked to traverse the kerbs fitted to the rig surface with the researcher by your side.

b.       You will be able to take a seat in the lab if there is a need to take a brief rest during the explanation of the task. The researcher will explain task and support in the process.

c.       Thereafter, you will be guided to complete a paper TLX questionnaire after each session.

d.    After completion, the researcher will ask if you have any further questions.

e.       You will be escorted to the pick-up area, to leave.

 

Do I have to take part?

Participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to withdraw from the study at any time. If you experience any adverse effects such as stress you should tell the researcher and the experiment will be paused or terminated.

 

Will I be anonymous?

Any personal identifiable information, such as recordings, that are disclosed during the study (e.g. age, gender, and name) will be kept confidential and no identifying information will be used when presenting the findings of this study.

 

Withdrawal

It will not be possible to withdraw your data once it has been processed because the information is stored anonymously. All data will be securely disposed, according to university secure disposal policy.

 

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

It is not possible to guarantee any specific benefits from taking part in this study. However, this type of research has the potential to improve awareness of inclusive design amongst policy makers, engineers, and contractors. You will be sent a copy of any publications, on request.

 

What are the possible risks of taking part?

There is no risk from the rig itself. Navigating through the laboratory will be guided by the laboratory assistants and researchers, ensuring that all the safety standards are implemented before, during and after the experiment. If for any reason you wish to stop or withdraw from the rig experiment, you are free to do so at any time.

 

What will happen after the study finishes?

Once the study is complete, the researcher aims to include the findings of the study in design guidance for transport workers and publish the findings of this study in an academic journal and Transport Scotland Report. In presenting these findings, any information you have provided will remain anonymous.

If you would like to participate, then please email [email protected] or [email protected] with the title ‘Inclusive Kerb Rig Experiment’.

You can also email the charity at [email protected] if you require any further assistance.