Parking your wheelchair

Safely parking your wheelchair involves more than just stopping. You’ll need to decide where to park, how to move into position, and then stop. 

This guide covers how to safely park both manual and powered wheelchairs. You’ll learn how to identify safe parking spaces, move into them using different techniques, and stop safely.

What you’ll learn:

• Assess when and where it’s appropriate to park
• How to park moving forward
• How to reverse park safely
• Parallel parking with control and confidence

What you need to know about parking your wheelchair

Parking is a simple and essential skill that you’ll need to stay independent.

When you’re learned how to park your wheelchair correctly you can:

• Avoid collisions with people or objects
• Stay comfortable and stable when resting
• Have the confidence you won’t move

There are several ways you can park your chair, and we cover them all in this guide: 

• Moving forward into a parking space
• Moving backward into a parking space (reversing)
• Parallel parking, moving backward between two static objects

Whatever you do, always park on a flat, stable surface. Avoid slopes or uneven ground that could cause your wheelchair to roll or lose balance.

Make sure the space you’ve chosen to park is clear, you have enough space to move, and that when you’re parked you’ll be safe.

Parking a manual wheelchair 

To move forward into a parking space, roll forward slowly and come to a complete stop before applying the brakes.

Before reverse parking, check that the space is clear. Make sure that you have enough room to move your chair without knocking into walls, furniture, or other people.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to reverse park a manual wheelchair:

1. Check that the caster wheels are pointing forward
2. Position your hands on the push-rims at around 2 o’clock
3. Lean slightly backwards and look over your shoulder before you start to move.
4. If your view is blocked, ask someone for help
5. Your hands should finish just behind your hips (around the 11 o’clock position) at the end of each push
6. Look down at your rear wheels as you move backwards to make sure you’re not getting too close to any objects

Parking a powerchair

Powerchairs make parking easier once you’ve learned how to control your speed and positioning. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to reverse park a powerchair:

1. Switch the power on
2. Choose a slow speed setting
3. Look over your shoulders before moving
4. If your view is blocked, ask someone to watch as you reverse and tell you when you’re close to the object or space you’re parking next to
5. Gently push the joystick backwards (depending on your chair type) while looking behind you (if possible)
6. Keep an eye on your large rear wheels to ensure you’re not getting too close to obstacles
7. Adjust your position and gradually slow down by easing pressure on the joystick

Powered wheelchairs are heavy, so take extra care when reversing in tight spaces or near other people. Move slowly and use spotters to help you park if you need a little extra help.