Design Considerations for Assistive Devices for Persons with Physical Disabilities in Nigerian Healthcare Settings

Persons with physical disabilities in Nigeria face significant barriers to accessing appropriately designed assistive devices, with the majority of available products being imported, culturally mismatched, and priced beyond the reach of most users. This study examines the design considerations critical to developing assistive devices suitable for the Nigerian healthcare and social context, with specific focus on mobility aids including crutches, manual wheelchairs, and ankle-foot orthoses, for persons with disabilities attending rehabilitation centres in Kano, Enugu, and Lagos. An assessment framework combining anthropometric data collection from two hundred and forty rehabilitation patients, structured interviews with twenty-six physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and product performance evaluation of currently issued devices generates a comprehensive profile of design-context mismatches. Findings identify significant anthropometric incompatibilities between standard imported device dimensions and Nigerian user body proportions, inadequate material durability for unpaved terrain common in peri-urban areas, and cultural concerns regarding device stigma among users in communal settings. The study develops a Design Requirements Specification for Nigerian Context Assistive Mobility Devices, covering anthropometric standards, material durability grades, and stigma-mitigation aesthetic considerations. Prototype modifications to three existing device types are developed and assessed by physiotherapists and patients in clinical settings. Recommendations include establishment of a National Assistive Technology Design Fund and integration of disability-inclusive design into industrial design undergraduate programmes. Keywords: assistive devices, disability design, rehabilitation, Nigeria, inclusive design.