Skills on Wheels: Volunteer Motivation and Involvement Within a Pediatric Wheelchair Skills Training Program

Abstract

Volunteering involves offering one’s time and skills without financial compensation. The therapeutic benefits of volunteering include a greater sense of community, improved social relationships and increased feelings of self-efficacy. This 14-week doctoral capstone experience (DCE) focuses on improving the volunteer experience by integrating evidence-based training, management strategies, and understanding volunteer motivations. Skills on Wheels, which teaches wheelchair skills to pediatric manual wheelchair users, relies heavily on volunteers, particularly from healthcare and therapy backgrounds. However, challenges such as volunteer retention and a disjointed volunteer community prompted a need for a structured training program and data collection on volunteer motivations. The project involves developing a comprehensive volunteer training program that fosters autonomy, competence, and social connection, thereby enhancing volunteer satisfaction and retention. Using the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), the paper highlights how volunteer involvement can be optimized to build meaningful community engagement. Qualitative and quantitative data showed that through utilizing a play-based structure to teach wheelchair skills, participants were able to form deeper connections with their participants and families when compared to previous years of Skills on Wheels. The doctoral capstone project established a sustainable volunteer training program as well as play-based interventions that will continue after the DCE. This project contributes to the understanding of how volunteer management can enhance both the volunteer experience and the therapeutic outcomes of volunteering.