Resources

• B
• Back Up Trust – UK
  Wheelchair skills training

 

• C
• Code of Practice for Disability Equipment, Wheelchair and Seating Services
  Discover everything you need to know about planning, commissioning, assessing for and providing disability equipment, wheelchair and seating services safely and effectively in this comprehensive and unique Code of Practice.

 

• Concept Note – High Level Meeting – February 7th 2017
  The High Level meeting on 7th February 2017 will introduce participants to the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP)1 and provide a forum to identify strategies for WCPT, ISPO and WFOT to increase access to education related to wheelchair provision within the curricula of rehabilitation professionals. The ultimate goal of which is to improve access to appropriate wheelchairs so that people with disabilities have access to products and services in accordance with Article 20 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

 

• Colombian Wheelchair Sector Presentation
  This is a presentation about the wheelchair sector in Colombia. We did a country profile based on the country’s people, policies, products, and provision services in order to understand how the system works, what challenges we have, and proposed strategies to move the wheelchair sector forward.

 

• D
• Development of a contextually appropriate, reliable and valid basic Wheelchair Service Provision Test
  Currently, there is no internationally accepted way to measure the competency of wheelchair service professionals. The International Society of Wheelchair Professionals aims to develop a Wheelchair Service Provision – Basic Test as a preliminary step towards establishing a certification process.

 

• DPO Report
  Disability Inclusion Among Refugees in the Middle East and North Africa: A Needs Assessment of Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, and Turkey
  The current refugee crisis in the Middle East presents incredible challenges for the humanitarian aid community. This is especially true when it comes to meeting the complex needs of refugees with disabilities, whose numbers have grown dramatically due to years of active conflict in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, and Sudan. Despite the scale of the crisis and the scarcity of resources to fund ongoing humanitarian aid, more must be done to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) within existing relief efforts and to use existing resources to better serve the needs of PWDs. Doing more in this regard does not necessarily have to mean spending more.

 

• Development of Wheelchair Standards for Less-Resourced Settings
  Reports that wheelchairs fail frequently and prematurely in less-resourced settings are likely due to shortcomings in product standardization and regulation in these settings. Higher durability and reliability is needed for wheelchairs used in these settings as they are subjected to unique environmental and use conditions. The standards published by the International Standards Organization (ISO 7176) test wheelchairs for durability, safety and performance but their applicability to products used in the unbuilt environment is unclear. Because of this, wheelchair-related guidelines and reports published by The World Health Organization recommended developing more rigorous durability tests for wheelchairs. This presentation will cover the quality issues reported with wheelchairs in less-resourced settings and the need for developing additional quality standards. The Standards Working Group of International Society of Wheelchair Professionals have recently designed appropriate test methods to address this need. The talk will include these developments and the future work to be conducted by the ISWP Standards Group on wheelchair quality standards for less-resourced settings.

 

• Development of an Online Wheelchair List for Wheelchair Users
  Provision of reliable and appropriate wheelchairs requires consumers and providers to be informed regarding product quality and field performance. Consumer Reports is one resource that provides such information with evaluation of consumer products but there is no similar resource for wheelchairs currently. Recognizing this problem, the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals developed an online seating and mobility product list. The list currently displays wheelchairs distributed in less-resourced settings and provides information such as general features, specifications, intended users, standards testing information, images and other information that can be useful to compare and select wheelchairs. Chairs can be filtered as per user and contextual criteria. Users, clinicians and other stakeholders to rate and comment on products based on their experience. Users can also report issues like part failures and under-performing functionalities to manufacturers. The paper presentation covers the development process of the product list and informal evaluation by manufacturers and clinicians. The list can be a great resource during selection of wheelchairs and can assist manufacturers in bettering their products and processes based on user reviews.

 

• H
• High Level Meeting
  The High Level meeting was held on 7th February 2017 to introduce participants to the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP) and provided a forum to identify strategies for WCPT, ISPO and WFOT to increase access to education related to wheelchair provision within the curricula of rehabilitation professionals. The ultimate goal is to improve access to appropriate wheelchairs so that people with disabilities have access to products and services in accordance with Article 20 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Please find the evidences that the group presented at the meeting to support the need for wheelchair content in curricula.

 

• I
• ISWP Training Pathway
  Please click on the document to know to learn on how to gain competency certificates for basic level and the intermediate level and the pathway to become a ToT trainer (Basic, Intermediate, Managers and Stakeholders).

 

• International Seating Symposium
  The International Seating Symposium (ISS) is considered one of the premier meetings in the world of dedicated clinicians, researchers, manufacturers, and others who work to improve seating and mobility among people with disabilities

 

• International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics
  ISPO is a global multidisciplinary non-governmental organization aiming to improve the quality of life for persons who may benefit from prosthetic, orthotic, mobility and assistive devices

 

• International Tennis Federation
  The ITF administers and regulates the game through over 200 affiliated National Associations, together with six Regional Associations. The ITF is responsible for the Rules of Tennis, including the technical specifications for courts and equipment, and the running and enforcing of a joint anti-doping programme

 

• International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
  The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for wheelchair basketball around the world.
  IWBF is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide opportunities for persons with a lower limb disability to play the game of wheelchair basketball

 

• International Wheelchair Rugby Federation
  Wheelchair Rugby is a mixed team sport for male and female quadriplegic athletes. A unique sport created by athletes with a disability, it combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball. Players compete in teams of four to carry the ball across the opposing team’s goal line. Contact between wheelchairs is permitted, and is in fact an integral part of the sport as players use their chairs to block and hold opponents

 

• M
• Management Sciences for Health
  Saving lives and improving the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health

 

• Motivation Wheelchair
  Our unique wheelchairs are designed for the challenging environments found in developing countries and, because one size doesn’t fit all, each wheelchair is individually fitted by a trained professional.
  But the right wheelchair is just the start. To really put the wheels in motion, we give disabled people the training and support they need to be healthy, confident and included in society. And they’re not the only ones to benefit; families, communities, even economies feel the positive change

 

• Mobility India
  Training center that is running region wheelchair training programs in India

 

• Motivation Peer Training Resources Summary
  A summary of the Peer Training Resources offered by Motivation

 

• R
• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
  RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions. RESNA advances the field by offering certification, continuing education, and professional development; developing assistive technology standards; promoting research and public policy; and sponsoring forums for the exchange of information and ideas to meet the needs of our multidisciplinary constituency

 

• S
• Special Seating: An Illustrated Guide
  Special Seating: An Illustrated Guide (Revised Edition) can be used by anyone involved in the seating process: from beginners through people who consider themselves experts. It has been referred to by seating specialists as an “indispensable resource” and an “essential item for every seating clinician’s toolbox”

 

• T
• Trainers’ Manual for Wheelchair Service Training – Basic Level
  This training package relies on the availability of trainers who are skilled in basic wheelchair service delivery and can confidently demonstrate the competencies taught in this training program. Previous experience as a trainer will also be beneficial

 

• TATCOT
  This course is intended to enroll students from Tanzania and other English speaking African countries as well as from other interested countries. Furthermore the course has been further split into two modules namely Technical module and Clinical modules

 

• Trainee/co-trainer Competency Assessment (TCA)
  This assessment is designed as a tool to assess the ability of WHO WSTP trainees against a set of pre-set competencies. For each competency, the observing ToT trainer will give a score of 1-3 (where 1= do not move forward with process; 2= move forward with remediation plan; 3= move forward). Trainees achieving an overall score of 2.5 or higher will have reached an acceptable standard for recognition by the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP). This tool can be used in both the WHO Training of Trainers (ToT) course and the co-trainings. This is latest version of the TCA.

 

• U
• UPMC Wheelchair Maintenance Training Program
  Through a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury, Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System, Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System and South Florida Spinal Cord Injury Model System the Wheelchair Maintenance Training Program (WMTP) has been developed to train clinicians on how to teach wheelchair users (and caregivers when applicable) in a group setting to perform maintenance at home

 

• W
• WHO Wheelchair Service Training – Basic Level (WSTP­B)
  The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), developed the Wheelchair Service Training Package ­ Basic level. The main purpose of the training package is to develop the minimum skills and knowledge required by personnel involved in wheelchair service delivery. Selected Basic training materials appear below:

  Participant’s Workbook – Basic Level Test (English)
  Participant’s Workbook – Basic Level Test (Spanish)
  Reference Manual for Participants – Basic Level Test (English)
  Reference Manual for Participants – Basic Level Test (Spanish)

 

• WHO Wheelchair Service Training – Intermediate Level (WSTP­I)
  Following release of the Wheelchair Service Training Package – Basic level (WSTP­B) WHO, in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), developed the Wheelchair Service Training Package – Intermediate Level (WSTP­I). WSTP­I focuses on addressing needs of people who have severe difficulties in walking and moving around and also have poor postural control. WSTP­I is designed to support the training of personnel or volunteers to provide an appropriate manual wheelchair and cushion for children and adults who need additional postural support to sit upright. Selected Intermediate training materials appear below:

  Participant’s Workbook – Intermediate Level Test
  Reference Manual for Participants – Intermediate Level Test

 

• Wheelchair Service Training Package for Stakeholders
  The objective of these training packages is to inform managers and stakeholders about the importance and benefits of proper wheelchair service provision in order to develop effective, sustainable programs

 

• Wheelchair Skills Program – Dalhousie University
  This website deals with the Wheelchair Skills Program (WSP). The WSP includes the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST), the questionnaire version of the WST (WST-Q) and the Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP). It is used to assess and train wheelchair users and/or their caregivers and clinicians

 

• Whirlwind Wheelchair
  Whirlwind Wheelchair International is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities in the developing world while promoting sustainable local economic development in the process. We work to make it possible for every person in the world who needs a high quality wheelchair to obtain one, leading to maximum personal independence and integration into society. By giving wheelchair riders a central role in all aspects of our designs and projects, Whirlwind ensures that our chairs are individually appropriate for each user and his or her respective environment. For thirty years in over 60 countries we have focused on producing durable, low-cost, and highly functional wheelchairs. These chairs give riders the reliable and functional mobility they need to reach their full potential. Our active adult wheelchair design, the RoughRider®, is used by 60,000 riders traveling over every terrain that only the best of wheelchairs can cross, from muddy village paths to rough pot-holed urban streets