Motivation Australia with local partners the National CBR Unit held the WHO Draft Wheelchair Service Training Package (Intermediate Level) in Honiara.

The WHO training package focuses on the provision of appropriate manual wheelchairs for children and adults who require extra postural support.

Motivation Australia was pleased to be involved in a Motivation project in Haiti, in conjunction with Handicap International and Healing Hands for Haiti.

Healing Hands for Haiti's rehabilitation centre was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake, and since then they have taken over a temporary site in conjunction with Handicap International. Together they have been providing clinical and technical services for Orthotics, Prosthetics, therapeutic programs and wheelchair and seating services.

Motivation Australia recently carried out a feasibility study in Tonga, following an invitation from  Naunau ‘o e ‘Alamaite Tonga Association (NATA) - the National Disabled Person's Organisation of Tonga; and with funding through the Planet Wheeler Foundation.

Motivation Australia and the National Community Based Rehabilitation Unit held the first Peer Group Training (PGT) residential course in the Solomon Islands in June this year.

PGT involves wheelchair users training others with a similar disability in skills and knowledge that enable them to carry out everyday activities and achieve an improved quality of life. Read more about Peer Group Training.

Motivation Australia in cooperation with the First People's Disability Network (FPDN, formerly the Aboriginal Disability Network) carried out consultations in ten communities in East Arnhem Land, Central Desert, Northern Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands. Twenty-six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mobility disabilities participated and related their stories and experiences of being service users.

Motivation Australia is constantly being asked whether we can provide Worldmade Wheelchairs in Australia. The Wheelchairs have been designed for wheelchair users living in environments where the terrain is challenging and accessing repair services are extremely difficult. Worldmade Wheelchairs are therefore incredibly robust, can be maintained locally, and provide an excellent ride over rough and sandy terrain. Yet the wheelchairs do not compromise on the postural support provided for the wheelchair user and come with a pressure relief and posture support cushion.

The Solomon Islands are situated North East of Australia and made up of nearly 1,000 islands spread across thousands of kilometres of Ocean. The UN ranks the Solomon Islands on its list of Least Developed Nations. There are approximately 5,000 people who need a wheelchair in the Solomon Islands, most living in rural areas with limited access to roads. The remoteness and isolation of each island community makes the establishment of rehabilitation services for people with a disability very challenging.

In 2009 Motivation Australia established a pilot wheelchair service in the capital Honiara. In 2010 Motivation Australia launched the Access to Mobility programme, building on our successful partnership with the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Unit of the National Rehabilitation Hospital to extend wheelchair services to five provinces. Our partners would also like to increase the focus on gender equity and explore the reasons why more men have been able to access the pilot service than women.

Motivation Australia and the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Centre (SNMRC) are working together to enhance wheelchair provision in Thailand.

In September 2009 and February 2010, Motivation Australia ran short courses in wheelchair provision for clinical and technial staff at SNMRC. The first course focused on providing staff with skills in wheelchair assessment, prescription, assembly, fitting and providing wheelchair users with instruction in wheelchair mobility and general health care. The second course took the staff skills further, enabling them to address the needs of children and adults who require supportive seating.

Motivation believes appropriate mobility equipment is a fundamental human right and can be a catalyst for people to access other basic rights such as education, employment, access and participation in the community. However, for many people with a mobility disability, provision of a wheelchair is only one step on the path.

Peer Group Training can assist in meeting some of the other needs of wheelchair users including wheelchair mobility skills, information and advice on maintaining health, building confidence and self esteem.

Wheelchair skills: To be mobile wheelchair users require skills in getting in and out of their wheelchair, and overcoming obstacles such as uneven ground, slopes and steps. This is particularly relevant in countries where there are many physical barriers. Wheelchair mobility is often taught through rehabilitation services – however the vast majority of people with mobility disabilities in low-income countries do not have access to rehabilitation services, and therefore often do not have these skills.

In partnership with East Timorese non-government organisation, ASSERT, Motivation Australia has supported the establishment of a national wheelchair service. The wheelchair service is based at the National Rehabilitation Centre, established by ASSERT in partnership with Cambodia Trust and the Ministry for Labour and Solidarity.

Clinical and technical staff at ASSERT have attended Motivation's short courses in wheelchair prescription, assessment and assembly training delivered by Mobility India in Bangalore; and in-country training and mentor support has been provided. The ASSERT staff now have the skills to work with individual wheelchair users to assess and prescribe the most suitable wheelchair from those available.

The service currently has a small range of appropriate wheelchairs including the Motivation designed Rough terrain wheelchair and Active Style wheelchair; tricycles made locally by the Maryknoll St Francis Workshop; ‘orthopaedic' style wheelchairs and children's wheelchairs provided through Wheelchairs for Kids. Together ASSERT and Motivation Australia will continue to develop the skills and capacities of ASSERT staff to assist them to better meet the needs of wheelchair users in East Timor.