It is well documented that people with a disability are amongst the poorest of the poor - a situation which is compounded by the absence of appropriate wheelchairs. An appropriate wheelchair offers the disabled user greater health; increases survival rates; and provides greater opportunities for access and inclusion in community and economic life. Access to appropriate wheelchairs and the local staff trained to provide them are the two main challenges for wheelchair provision in countries with less resources.

Motivation Australia is proud to be collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the development of a global training package aimed at teaching local staff the skills they need to provide wheelchairs. The training package will consist of three modules: basic and intermediate level for clinical and technical staff and wheelchair provision for service managers. The training package is the next step after the 2008 publication of the WHO guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings.

The first pilot of the basic level module will be carried out in India in June 2010, and the second pilot will be carried out in the Solomon Islands, delivered by a Motivation Australia trainer and Motivation Australia's local partners the CBR Unit, in July 2010.