WHO Wheelchair Training Packages

Following the release in 2008 of the WHO Guidelines on the provision of Manual 

Wheelchairs in less resourced settings, the Disability and Rehabilitation unit at the World 

Health Organization is now developing Wheelchair Training Packages. 

Statistics show that less than 5% of those in need of a wheelchair actually have access to 

properly fitted wheelchairs. We feel that health professionals have a role to ensure that every 

individual receives a suitable wheelchair according to their specific needs and environments. 

The wheelchair should fit well, be safe, durable, affordable and able to be maintained locally. 

These requirements are in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 

which advocates for 'effective measures to ensure personal mobility with the greatest 

possible independence for persons with disabilities’.

WHO is in process of developing two Training Packages for appropriate wheelchair service 

provision: 1) Basic level, and 2) Intermediate level. The purpose of the Training Packages is 

to establish universal minimum competencies for wheelchair provision, to increase the 

number personnel trained in wheelchair provision, and to improve the integration of 

wheelchair service delivery within rehabilitation services.

for more details please visit : http://www.wfot.org/images/Communication%20from%20the%20Disability%20and%20Rehabilitation(1).pdf