Development of the Difficulty with Mobility Questionnaire: A Pilot Study

A 23-item difficulty with mobility questionnaire (DMQ) was piloted with 32 persons who had participated in a one-week orientation and mobility (O&M) course offered by Guide Dogs Queensland in early 2014 to determine its potential utility as an outcome measure for O&M instruction. The DMQ was assessed for reliability, validity, and sensitivity. Reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Validity was assessed by determining the extent to which the total difficulty score correlated with a single-item global measure of ability to get around. Sensitivity of each of the difficulty items to reflect change following completion of the course was assessed by comparing pretreatment to post-treatment scores using paired samples t-tests. Acceptable levels of reliability, validity, and sensitivity were demonstrated.