#AppropriateWheelchair
#InternationalWheelchairDay2026
INTERNATIONAL WHEELCHAIR DAY
1 March 2026
HELP SPREAD THE WORD
Share an unstoppable story
Share a short video featuring an #Unstoppable wheelchair champion, tell or show us how their wheelchair has empowered their life. Use #InternationalWheelchairDay2026 in your Instagram post or email your video to info@iswp.org
Special celebration planned?
Have a special celebration planned? Share the details with us, your event could be featured on the official ISWP website, or send an email to info@iswp.org
Let’s inspire the world together!
To contribute to either of the above, tag us on social media to get featured or email us at info@iswp.org.
Steve Wilkinson
Where it all started
International Wheelchair Day was founded on March 1, 2008, by Steve Wilkinson, a passionate advocate for wheelchair users who lived with spina bifida. Steve’s vision was to create a global movement that celebrated the positive impact of wheelchairs, recognised the efforts of those who provide and support mobility solutions and raised awareness about the millions of people still in need of a wheelchair. Though Steve passed away in 2024, his legacy lives on. The International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP) is committed to honoring his advocacy and continuing to promote International Wheelchair Day, ensuring that accessibility, inclusion, and mobility remain a global priority.
Will you join the movement with us?
2026 International Wheelchair Day Events
International Wheelchair Day Events
Wheelie Wellness
Organisation: ParaQuad Tasmania
Location: Tasmania
Contact: Sarah Young
Event Details: Wheelie Wellness Kingston
Celebrate International Wheelchair Day with us at Kingston Community Hub for a FREE Wheelie Wellness Workshop, proudly supported by MAIB. Explore the latest assistive tech, hear advocacy tips from lived experience, and learn from exercise physiologists on shoulder health. Connect with your community and boost your wellbeing.
Tune-Up & Shine: Wheelchair Service Event
Organisation: Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
Location: Inova Mount Vernon Hospital – Yellow Lobby, Engh Conference Room
Date & Time: Sunday, March 1, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Receive tips, basic cleaning, maintenance advice, and connect with local resources for your mobility device.
Attendance is by registration only. Scan the QR code:
Surf Therapy & International Wheelchair Day
Organisation: Roxy Davis Foundation, Shonaquip, ISWP
Location: Surfer’s Corner Muizenberg
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
This event brings together volunteers and participants to create a powerful day of inclusion, connection, and surf therapy—where the ocean becomes a space of freedom and joy for all.
Introducing Powerchair Football
Organisation: SESOBEL
Date & Time: Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 10:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Lebanon, Beirut
At SESOBEL, we will be celebrating International Wheelchair Day on February 26th, continuing the tradition we began in 2024. This year’s celebration will be particularly meaningful as we introduce the launch of the Powerchair Football activity, a pioneering project aimed at promoting inclusion, empowerment, teamwork and adapted sport for children and youth using power wheelchairs.
Fostering Independence & Inclusion
Organisation: Mobility India
Date & Time: Monday, March 2, 2026 | 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Location: Mobility India, 1st & 1st ‘A’ Cross, J.P. Nagar 2nd Phase, Bengaluru
Core Insights:
- Wheelchair service provision steps
- Variants of wheelchair
- Users real-world impact on mobility
Motivation Wheelchair Basketball Karnataka Premier League
Organisation: Motivation India
Date & Time: Saturday, March 7, Sunday, March 8 2026 | 9:00 AM – 05:30 PM
Location: 34th Cross Rd, 4th T Block East, Pattabhirama Nagar, Jayanagar, Bengaluru
https://share.google/0037zRgVXk8k2gfiG
International Wheelchair Celebration Day
Organisation: Kyaninga Child Development Centre
Date & Time: Saturday, March 7 2026 | 9:30 AM – 04:00 PM
Location: Kyaninga Lodge
FREE webinar recordings, thanks to a generous supporter 🎉🎉
Sheila Purvey, one of our wonderful supporters, has kindly funded 10 recordings of Marta Figueiredo`s webinar, Seating and Mobility for Children`s Participation Outcomes, for ISWP members.
If you`d like to take advantage of this member benefit, email info@iswp.org by 30 October. Places are limited, so don`t miss out.
Thank you, Sheila, for helping make learning more accessible!
Ability meets mobility.
#ISWP #Webinar #MemberBenefits #AppropriateWheelchairProvision
ISWP`s resources were proudly showcased at the 2026 China Care & Rehabilitation EXPO (CR EXPO) in Beijing, held in September, sharing our work with the Chinese assistive technology community.
Thank you to the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) for extending the invitation and making our participation possible, and to the Expo organisers for creating space for international organisations to share their work.
Sharing knowledge across borders helps more people access the right wheelchair and the right support.
#ISWP #CREXPO2026 #AppropriateWheelchairProvision #AssistiveTechnology
We’re excited to share that we now have 1 449 individuals around the world certified at the Basic, Intermediate, or Trainer level. 👏🏻
Recently, we collaborated with Bethany Kids (Kenya), Wheelchair Project (Thailand), and the Spinal Cord Centre (Nepal) together with SESOBEL to deliver Basic level Wheelchair Training and Certifications at basic level in each country.
Thank you to our partners for helping more people access the right wheelchair and the right support.
Ability meets mobility.
#ISWP #AppropriateWheelchairProvision #Certification
"An appropriate wheelchair is not simply one that fits the body. It is one that allows the person using it to remain the person making decisions about where to go, how to participate and how to live."
These are the words of Massimo Lorusso from Milan, Italy, who shared his perspective as a wheelchair user for our community.
Appropriate wheelchair provision starts with listening to the people who live in their wheelchairs every day. Thank you, Massimo, for sharing your voice with us.
📍 Massimo Lorusso, Milan, Italy
@tunonarrenderti
Ability meets mobility.
#ISWP #AppropriateWheelchairProvision
We`re proud to have delivered the first phase of
the Developing Sustainable Wheelchair Provision Education and Training in Nepal project: the WHO Wheelchair Service Training Programme, delivered in partnership with ISWP, SESOBEL, the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) Nepal, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the University of Limerick.
In September 2026, 12 rehabilitation professionals were trained at the Basic Level and at the Intermediate Level.
Together, we`re strengthening knowledge, building local capacity, and empowering health and social care professionals to deliver
appropriate wheelchair services that promote dignity, independence, and participation.
This is just the beginning of a sustainable, in country training programme that will support wheelchair users across Nepal.
From training to transformation: building a future where every wheelchair user can access the right wheelchair and the right support.
Ability meets mobility.
Thank you, Numotion, for your generous grant in support of our mission!
Every day, Numotion helps people get the complex rehab technology they need, so it means a great deal to have their support behind our work training providers, advancing certification, and strengthening wheelchair service provision in communities around the world.
Grants like this move us closer to a world where appropriate wheelchair provision is the standard, not the exception.
Thank you for believing in this work.
Ability meets mobility.
#ISWP #AppropriateWheelchairProvision
In Their Words: Ramma Inam 🔊
Ramma Inam is a Consultant Occupational Therapist in Pakistan with over 14 years of professional experience.
As a mentee in our mentorship programme, here`s what she had to say:
"The programme has strengthened my clinical reasoning, increased my confidence in applying evidence-based practice, and enhanced my approach to person-centred wheelchair service provision."
ISWP’s mentorship programme pair mentees with experienced mentors across the wheelchair sector. Stories like Ramma`s are what our mentorship programme is all about.
If you`re looking for a mentor, reach out to us to find out more!
Ability meets mobility.
#ISWP #Mentorship #OccupationalTherapy
For over a decade, the ISWP community has been working together to strengthen wheelchair provision around the world.
But the true impact isn`t found in numbers alone.
It`s found in the provider who gained new skills. The organisation that trained a new workforce. The wheelchair user who gained independence. The family whose daily life changed for the better.
These are the stories that inspire action.
If you`ve been part of the ISWP community, as a wheelchair user, provider, trainer, organisation, or partner, we`d love to hear from you!
🎥 Record a 20-30 second video
📸 Share a photo
✍️ Write a short story
Send your story to info@iswp.org or tag ISWP on social media.
For more info: https://iswp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ISWP-Share-your-impact-story-.pdf
Together, we can show why appropriate wheelchair provision matters and why investing in people, training, and systems changes lives.
Community Based seating and repair clinics
Organisation: Shonaquip
Location: South Africa
Contact: kim@henshilwooddesign.com & Shona@ShonaquipSE.org.za
Learning session on the WHO guidelines and more
Surf Therapy & International Wheelchair Day
Organisation: Roxy Davis Foundation
Location: Surfer’s Corner Muizenberg
Date: 1/03/2025
This event brings together volunteers and participants to create a powerful day of inclusion, connection, and surf therapy—where the ocean becomes a space of freedom and joy for all.
Celebrate Inclusion, Mobility & Innovation
Organisation: Kyaninga Mobility
Location: Kyaninga Lodge, Fort Portal
Date: 1/03/2025
Join us for International Wheelchair Day 2025! Celebrate mobility, resilience, and inclusion with wheelchair users, advocates, and athletes. Promote accessibility, challenge perceptions, and enjoy a day of fun!
Celebrate International Wheelchair Day with Free Entry at Merlin Attractions
Organisation: Merlin Entertainments
Date: 1/03/2025
Merlin Entertainments is offering free entry to mobility device users and their carers at all Australian and New Zealand attractions from March 1st to 3rd, 2025, in celebration of International Wheelchair Day.