Wheelchair Service Provision Course

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This course is brought to you by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO)

Course Information

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Introduction

The wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility, which is a precondition for enjoying human rights and living in dignity. For many people, an appropriate, well-designed and well-fitted wheelchair can be the first step towards integration, participation and inclusion in society.

A wheelchair must meet the user’s individual needs and environmental conditions, provide postural support, and be safe and durable. The wheelchair must be available and affordable and be maintainable and sustainable in the country of use. This is not always easy, because wheelchair users are a diverse group with different requirements and environmental and socioeconomic conditions.

A wheelchair is much more than just an assistive device for many people with impairments; it is the means by which they can exercise their human rights and achieve inclusion and equal participation. A wheelchair provides mobility, ensures better health and quality of life, and assists people with an impairment to live full and active lives in their communities.

Aim

This course aims to provide a basic theoretical understanding of wheelchair mobility and to develop an understanding of the theoretical principles, skills and knowledge underlying the management skills and knowledge in the management of wheelchair service delivery.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• list at least seven benefits of an appropriate wheelchair for a wheelchair user
• explain how wheelchair service personnel can support a wheelchair user’s right to personal mobility
• list at least five ways wheelchair users can be actively involved in wheelchair provision
• list physical and/or functional reasons why a wheelchair user may need additional postural support
• list four benefits of additional postural support
• list at least five design features of an appropriate wheelchair
• explain how wheelchair design can impact on user function and satisfaction
• discus how wheelchair users may be referred to a wheelchair service;
• explain the purpose of wheelchair assessment;
• examine the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Wheelchair Assessment
• discuss how the assessment interview can assist in selecting the most appropriate wheelchair and to identify what a wheelchair user may need to learn
• demonstrate the correct way to take measurements from a wheelchair user for an appropriate wheelchair
• list all the steps to fitting in the correct order
• describe how to check size and common adjustments of a wheelchair for an individual wheelchair user.
• list 5 skills wheelchair service personnel can teach wheelchair users when they receive a new wheelchair
• describe two “good practice training methods”
• describe how to care for a wheelchair at home
• identify three common technical problems with a wheelchair and explain how these problems can be solved within the local community/context