The Wheelchair Skills Program: A ‘gold-standard’ for assessment and training

Thematic area of learning: 
Assistive Technology
Typical target learners: 
Clinicians who prescribe wheelchairs and provide wheelchair skills training
Learning outcomes of the session
Please list the 3 most relevant learning outcomes by completing the following phrase: At the end of the session the participants will ...
Outcome 1.: 
Describe the importance of the wheelchair in general and its use
Outcome 2: 
Describe a structured method of assessment and training to improve the skills of wheelchair users
Outcome 3: 
Select and retrieve the appropriate testing and training tools for a given wheelchair user.
Proposed format: 
workshop
Lecturers / teachers / experts / support figures that will be involved: 
François Routhier, PhD, and Krista Best, PhD, are both professors in the Department of rehabilitation and researchers at the Center for interdisciplinary research in rehabilitation and social integration at Université Laval (Québec, Canada). They are also Research Scholars of the Quebec Health Research Funds and have been involved in wheelchair research for than 20 years. Béatrice Ouellet and Alice Pellichero are both PhD students at the Department of rehabilitation and student researchers at the Center for interdisciplinary research in rehabilitation and social integration at Université Laval (Québec, Canada). Their theses are related to the development of manual and power wheelchair skills.
Description/Abstract: 
Provision of a wheelchair can facilitate mobility and social participation for individuals with mobility limitations. However, acquisition alone does not ensure safe and effective use. The Wheelchair Skills Program (WSP), an evidence-based program, comprises validated assessment tools (Wheelchair Skills Test (WST)) and an effective training program (Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP)). Testing and training materials are available for manual and power wheelchair use and scooter use for people of all ages. The WSP resources can be used by anyone who has an interest in providing or learning about wheelchair or scooter use. The WSP resources (a training manual, objective and subjective tests) are freely accessible online at www.wheelchairskillsprogram.ca. The purpose of this workshop is to provide attendees with an overview of the WSP and foundational training in the standardized administration of the WST and WSTP.