New Wheelchair Skills Video Launched

The Spinal Injuries Association will today 24 September 2003 launch a revolutionary new Wheelchair Skills video at London’s Independent Living Exhibition, Wembley (11am, stand B2/B3), with Independence Technology and MAGIC (Mobility and General Information Centre), Ford Motor Company’s telephone information service for disabled and mature drivers

‘Turning the Corner’ is the first video to show a person how to use and get the most out of a wheelchair, whatever their level of disability. The video shows people using their wheelchairs in a wide range of daily situations: learning with a therapist in a hospital environment; practising skills in the outside world; going up hills and shopping in a supermarket.

The film, also made with the help of the Private Physiotherapists Educational Foundation and a cross-section of voluntary and statutory organisations, provides a raft of handy tips. These include wheelchair adjustments, postural assessment and self-assessment, practical skills, getting in and out of cars, assisting chair users, propelling a chair (whether conventional or manual assist), shifting bodyweight, finding a balance point for ‘wheelies’, going up kerbs and over rough ground.

Wheelchair user and MAGIC Ambassador Joe Hennessy OBE is the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Mobility for Disabled People and a member of the Spinal Injuries Association.

He commented: "As someone who’s been a wheelchair user almost all my life, I can’t commend the Spinal Injuries Association’s video highly enough. Put simply, it helps novice and experienced users like myself and healthcare professionals use wheelchairs to their full potential."