Strengthening access to appropriate wheelchairs
A woman in her wheelchair within the urban environment of the city of Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
Wheelchair provision guidelines
In May 2023, WHO launched new Wheelchair provision guidelines, in collaboration with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics and the International Society of Wheelchair Providers. These guidelines are designed to address the global challenge of providing wheelchairs to an estimated 80 million people in need, ensuring fair and timely access to wheelchairs that meet users' specific requirements.
The new Guidelines are an update to the Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings, building on the growth in evidence and best practices since their initial launch in 2008. They are global in scope and provide seven evidence-based service and system level recommendations.
The service level recommendations place great emphasis on personalized assessment, fitting, training, and ongoing follow-up as essential components of effective wheelchair provision for all. At the system level, the guidelines highlight the need for trained personnel to fulfil the different roles of wheelchair provision, integrated and seamless referral processes, and systematic evaluation of wheelchair provision in order to inform further system strengthening. These recommendations are crucial in improving equitable access to appropriate wheelchairs at scale, helping to address the challenges faced by many individuals in having their mobility needs well met.
For more information about the development of the Wheelchair guidelines, see Web Annex A: Summary of Evidence and Web Annex B: Systematic review data tables and appendices
Wheelchair provision guidelines
Wheelchair training for personnel
After extensive expert consultations, field trials and an expert review, WHO in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, has developed a series of Wheelchair Service Training Package (WSTP). These have been translated into many languages. The publications include:
Wheelchair Service Training Package – Basic level (WSTPb)
The WSTPb is designed to support the training of all personnel to provide an appropriate manual wheelchair and cushion for children and adults who have mobility impairments but can sit upright without additional postural support.
Wheelchair Service Training Package – Intermediate level (WSTPi)
The WSTPi is designed to support the training of all personnel to provide an appropriate manual wheelchair and cushion for children and adults who need additional postural support to sit upright.
WHO Wheelchair Service Training Package for Managers and Stakeholders (WSTPm and WSTPs)
The WSTPm and WSTPs are designed to support managers and other key stakeholders to establish comprehensive wheelchair service programmes within their countries.
Wheelchair Service Training of Trainers Package (WSTPtot)
The WTSPtot focuses on developing trainers to deliver the WSTPb, WSTPi, WSTPm and WSTPs.
Quality wheelchairs, cushions and other accessories
To ensure wheelchair users can be provided with a wheelchair that meets their needs, a sufficient variety of products must be available to choose from. No single model or size of wheelchair can meet the needs of all users. A limited wheelchair range will likely result in an inappropriate wheelchair for most wheelchair users.
WHO tools available to support countries in wheelchair procurement include:
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