1. Do you provide wheelchairs to children?
AWC does provide wheelchairs for children but only if a suitable chair cannot be acquired from the Wheelchair Service.

2. Why does a child need a wheelchair assessment?
The capacity of the child to use a particular chair has to be established.  This is one of the important purposes that a child will attend a wheelchair course.  After the course it is usually clear what type of chair the child can use.  The need for special seating can also be established at a course or during an assessment.

3. What is the age range of children you work with?
Some children who attend the two-day course are as young as two (the age at which able-bodied children are independently moving around indoors).  We can see children and young people up to the age of eighteen

4. What happens during a manual wheelchair-training course?
The course concentrates on training the child to use the chair outdoors.  The basic skill to be learned is backwheel balancing up and down the 4” kerb.  During the course the students practise various ways of going up and down slopes (7 seven ways to go up and two ways to come down).  Managing flights of stairs and escalators is also discussed.  Basic kerb drill is practised and after, we will try to arrange road safety training by Road Safety Officers in a child’s local area.

5. What happens during an electric wheelchair-training course?
The main purpose of the one-day electric course is to check that the child has good control of the chair indoors, has a detailed knowledge of the chair being used and what to do if the chair breaks down.  We hope to be able to establish whether or not the child is ready to start learning to cross the road in the chair and some basic kerb drill is practised.  If the child is ready for outdoor mobility, we would make sure that the chair was suitable for that purpose and would try to arrange road safety training locally.

6. How do you get children to attend?
We advertise the courses in Therapy Weekly, a magazine accessed by most therapists managing children.  We are often able to discuss the course with therapists local to the children when parents ask us to do a course.  From time to time we advertise the courses on local radio.  All of our courses are listed on our web site.

7. Do you work with adults?
Occasionally adults will attend the courses we run for children.

8. Are there any children with particular needs you would be unable to work with?
So far, we have not come across any children with whom we have not been able to work.

9. How do you work with NHS wheelchair services?
After a wheelchair course we are able to contact Wheelchair Services with evidence, usually beyond a reasonable doubt, as to what type of chair the child needs.

Fundraising:

1. Where does your money come from?
Most of our fundraising income is derived from donations from Grant Making Trusts, Foundations and Companies. We also have many local fundraising groups across the country that raises money on our behalf by holding local fundraising events in their local area. We try to ensure that any money raised locally supports both wheelchair training courses and equipment for local wheelchair-using children.

2. Do you receive any government funding?
We currently do not receive any statutory funding and we are wholly reliant on voluntary contributions.

3. How much of your money is spent on fundraising?
In 2003 we spent just under 18p in the £1 on fundraising.  

Charity:

1. Who are your Trustees?
We have a Board of 5 Trustees, 2 of whom are wheelchair-users and who have also attended our programme of wheelchair training courses.

2. Who are your Patrons?
Michael Aspel.
Ade Adepitan.
Fred Dinenage.

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	Association of Wheelchair Children 6 Woodman Parade, North Woolwich, London, E16 2LL Tel:  0844 544 1050 Registered Charity No. 1057894 Company Registered 3249582