Wheelchair technology as a profession

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countries need to develop appropriate wheelchair service models. Rural populations, insufficient professional training and poor infrastructure mean that industrialised country models are not effective in the developing world. The lack of wheelchair professionals within health services means that governments do not consider the need for wheelchairs. Rehabilitation budgets do not adequately provide for wheelchair users needs. Wheelchairs are therefore generally purchased directly from small workshops which do not have the capacity to develop a comprehensive wheelchair service including assessment, prescription, fitting, education and follow-up. The wheelchairs are usually copies of donated foreign wheelchairs which are unsuitable for the local environment and wheelchair users' needs. Inappropriate wheelchairs often lead to potentially fatal secondary complications such as scoliosis or pressure sores. To respond to the need for professional training to address the skills required to run a comprehensive wheelchair service, TATCOT and Motivation collaborated to set up a one year multidisciplinary certificate course, the Wheelchair Technologists Training Course (WTTC). The WTTC has been accredited by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), giving it international recognition and helping to promote and address the need for professional wheelchair provision models. The course is now in its sixth year of operation with 29 graduates serving the needs of their local communities in eight African countries. The course is in great demand, with applications from 20 African countries and requests to replicate the course from six countries. Motivation plans to develop a two year course in Central America. Wheelchair users themselves must pioneer the professionalisation of wheelchair services, and demand full integration into rehabilitation services. Without specialised wheelchair professionals and comprehensive wheelchair services in non-industrialised countries, wheelchair users will continue to be marginalised within mobility service provision.