A masterclass on assessing and prescribing fully configurable manual wheelchairs to optimise function and prevent injury for active users.

Objectives

Therapists completing this workshop will be able to:  

  • utilise three outcome measures to evaluate intervention
  • describe three key considerations when configuring a manual wheelchair for an active user
  • identify three non-negotiable factors that determine the starting point to make scripting decisions
  • describe the pros and cons of different scripting options for key wheelchair components (e.g. castor size and type, front frame angle)
  • make three adjustments on a manual wheelchair to preserve shoulders and upper limbs and to improve wheelchair skills and participation
  • execute basic wheelchair skills training

Content

This workshop will combine slide presentations, case studies and practical hands-on sessions. Participants will also receive the presentation handouts and copies of assessment tools.

Equipment used in the workshops is for consolidating assessment skills and knowledge. The workshop does not intend to outline all equipment options nor recommend specific product.

This workshop is one of the three wheelchair workshops organised by Swinburne's Medical Technology Victoria (MedTechVic) in partnership with Deb Wilson from New Zealand's Seating To Go.

Requirements

Please bring suggested tools to adjust manual wheelchairs:

  • imperial and metric allen keys
  • 5-inch and 10-inch adjustable crescents (or bigger for rear axle nuts)
  • ring spanners (7/16, 0.5 and 0.75 inch and 10, 11 and 13 milimetres)

Speaker

Deb Wilson is an internationally renowned occupational therapist who has specialised in wheeled mobility and postural management for the past 35 years. She co-founded Seating to Go in 1997 – a leading wheelchair and seating assessment, training and repair service in New Zealand.

In 2009, she was contracted by New Zealand's Ministry of Health to develop their wheeled mobility and postural management credential for occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Deb is currently a member of the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP) Wheelchair Educators Package Development Group and the New Zealand Chair for the Oceania Seating Symposium (OSS).

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