Skills for Manual Wheelchair users

Wheels That Move! was sparked by an initial question posed to Pushmakers’ dancers: How many of you know what all the parts of your wheelchair are called? 

Not one of our dancers had ever been taught this by anyone in their lives up until that point. It was boggling for us as it is similar to a standing dancer having never been taught vocabulary for their own bodies such as calf, thigh, or foot and not being able to receive or integrate correction to their movement. 

Wheelchair users and the non-wheelchair users that support them don’t have access to information about the wheelchairs they use or how they could be customized and adjusted to better suit their bodies and movement goals. Pushmakers decided to create a resource that addressed this entry-level need for wheelchair users and movement professionals alike. 

Wheels That Move! Is a foundational educational curriculum on using manual wheelchairs for movement activities. It is designed for people with little to no understanding of manual wheelchairs.

Learning the types of manual wheelchairs a person might have and their unique features.

Knowing the parts of manual wheelchairs and understanding how each part of a manual wheelchair can be customized to better suit a user’s movement goals.

Understanding basic techniques for maintaining manual wheelchairs.

Confidence in modifying the set up of manual wheelchairs to optimize them for movement.

More knowledgeable and confident wheelchair users who are ready to move into more advanced movement practices.

Coming in 2026!

Stay tuned for more information about Wheels That Move! as we get closer to launch!

Wheels That Move! was developed in partnership with Dancemakers and Crossroads Theatre. Wheels That Move! was generously funded by Canada Council for the Arts.