Report
In October 2017 World Vision produced a report entitled “The 8 Steps+”, outlining the role of community development organizations in providing holistic wheelchair services. This report was based on lessons learned within the ACCESS Wheelchair program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This report built on the World Health Organization (WHO) wheelchair provision 2008 guidelines that outlined 8 steps critical for effective provision.
The revision of the WHO guidelines in 2023 to a four step approach, led World Vision to develop a revised report that reflects our ongoing learning. The first report focused on community development organizations and their role in working with specialist wheelchair providers. This revised document recognizes that there are different actors at community level that can and should play a critical role in providing holistic wheelchair services.
The WHO’s 4 steps of wheelchair provision + community-based non-specialists = THE 4 STEPS+ It seeks to build on the observation in the revised WHO guidelines that “the involvement of mid-level and community-level personnel could expand the workforce who are able to deliver identification, referral and service steps.”