Wheels for Wellbeing are working for a world where all Disabled people have the option to walk/wheel, cycle and make active multi-modal journeys as we want to.
Discrimination is stopping too many people from making the journeys we want and need to.
In May 2025, a Disabled man in London had his manual wheelchair and clip-on power attachment confiscated by police. The police refused to return his wheelchair for 18 days – and he still can’t get his power attachment back. This is an extreme example of the sort of risk and harm we know so many Disabled people face just using our aids in everyday life, because of discriminatory attitudes, behaviour and laws.
We’re already campaigning for legal changes, but that isn’t enough.
Right now, we need the government to issue urgent guidance to police and other service providers ensuring Disabled people can use our safe, necessary aids in public places without fear of harm or confiscation.
We’re asking the government to issue guidance that will reduce risk to Disabled people by:
- Prohibiting removal of Disabled people’s aids. We’ve suggested this guidance could be aligned to existing police guidance on use of force and restraint, with aids only permitted to be removed if there is an immediate risk that needs to be addressed, e.g. someone’s wheelchair is on fire;
- Directing police to use discretion and avoid penalising Disabled people who are using “not in class” powered aids in public spaces. We’ve suggested this guidance could be comparable to existing Boateng guidance on pavement cycling.
You can help us by sharing your stories.
We want to bring together Disabled people’s stories so we can show politicians, journalists and the public why guidance and legal changes are so urgently needed.
*We are very happy to take anonymous stories, or to anonymise your story for you.*
- If you use any kind of aid – an assistance dog, wheelchair, mobility scooter, power attachment or e-assist wheels, crutches, canes, hearing aids, phone, etc:
Please tell us about any times you’ve had problems using your aid in public, especially if you’ve ever had your aid taken off you, if anyone has tried to take your aid or challenged you for using it, or if you changed trip plans because of the risk your aid might be taken.
- If you use a cycle or powered mobility aid, especially an aid that goes above 8mph or doesn’t have a 4mph/6kph pavement switch, such as a clip-on power attachment, e-assist wheels with top speed over 4mph/6kph, e-scooter, cycle, e-cycle, some mobility scooters, etc:
Please tell us about any problems, incidents or concerns you’ve had, especially when using your device to make journeys, taking it into buildings or on public transport, or or charging it.
Send your stories (and any photos) to kate@wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk – any length is fine, but if the story is very long, we may need to use quotes rather than the whole thing.