LAY SUMMARY Mobility assistive technology (AT) can improve the lives of people with disabilities by helping them get around in their communities. Today, over 23.9 million Americans use a wheelchair or assistive device, and over 85,000 wheelchairs, scooters, or other mobility devices are provided to Veterans each year. In order to find out how people learn about AT to improve efforts to disseminate information about AT, a survey of people who use mobility AT was conducted. The majority of people who completed the survey were Veterans (82%). It was determined that these people most often learned about AT through other users and/or from Veterans and the Internet, and that some people wish to receive information in other ways. Researchers can use these findings to better reach the people who could benefit from the new mobility AT they are creating. Introduction: Mobility is an important facilitator of community participation and independence. Over 23.9 million Americans use mobility assistive technology (AT) of some kind. Each year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides over 85,000 wheelchairs, scooters, or mobility device components to Veterans. The purpose of this survey was to (1) identify gaps in skills training and knowledge of laws, standards, clinical practice guidelines, and emerging technologies among consumers of mobility AT; (2) identify consumers' preferred information sources; and (3) function as a pilot study to develop a framework for effective research dissemination and knowledge translation to be applied to future work in this area. Methods: An online survey assessed participant priorities, awareness of mobility AT, and awareness of mobility AT knowledge sources. Open-ended comments were also collected. Gaps in consumer knowledge and awareness were identified. A k-means clustering algorithm was used to categorize participants according to their responses and characteristics. Results: A total of 100 participants, including 82 Veterans living in the United States, completed this survey. The average age of participants was 50.99 (SD 13.89) years, and the majority had been using their mobility AT device for six or more years. The largest knowledge and awareness gaps were identified in the areas of new technologies, AT assessment tools, and clinical practice guidelines. Word-of-mouth and Internet sources were selected as the most important sources of AT information by the largest number of participants. Consumers of mobility AT were classified into four groups, based on how they obtain information on new technologies, what types of information they would like to receive, what type of device they used, and what type of impairment they had. Discussion: This survey demonstrated gaps in consumer knowledge with respect to new mobility AT and identified new opportunities for knowledge translation, particularly in Veteran populations. Results suggest the importance of updating dissemination and knowledge translation practices to reflect consumer preferences.
