Introduction to Wheelchair Seating and Positioning

Course overview

This course, designed to provide the occupational and physical therapy practitioner with a broad overview of the assessment and provision of wheelchair seating, is written at a basic to intermediate level for the occupational or physical therapist who has little or no experience in this specialty practice area. Many people require the use of a wheelchair for dependent or independent mobility, and each wheelchair provides some form of seating. Wheelchair seating directly affects a client's position, which in turn affects function for all of that person's daily tasks. It is essential that occupational and physical therapy practitioners be able to competently participate as members of the interprofessional team in determining the optimal seating and wheeled mobility interventions for a particular client. Common diagnoses for a client using a wheelchair include cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophies.