Go students go!

Physiotherapy students at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) got first-hand experience of adapting to wheelchair use with a special chair-based training course held on campus.

The course for UCLan students is run annually by Go Kids Go, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and improving the experience of children using wheelchairs.

This latest workshop, held in January, involved students spending a large part of the day in wheelchairs, looking at the handling of different types of chair, learning wheel balancing skills and how to cope with rough ground and slopes.

The group of 28 undergraduates also looked at ways to encourage independent mobility in young wheelchair users, and included games and wheelchair sports.

Go Kids Go training manager Roy Wild said: ‘Working with the student physios is really beneficial for all concerned.

Just a few hours in a chair can really help make a difference to the type of exercises given to patients in wheelchairs.’

Mr Wild said the response after the training day was ‘really positive’ from both the students and senior lecturer in physiotherapy Mandy Dunbar.

‘The course was a fantastic opportunity, because it enables the students to tailor physio treatments around the needs of the patients when out on placements,’ said Ms Dunbar.

Go Kids Go also runs practical courses for physiotherapists working with young people and for young wheelchair users and their families, as well as general wheelchair awareness training sessions for non-disabled children.