To develop a universal wheelchair skill test battery, a survey among wheelchair athletes was initiated. Opinions of athletes with a spinal cord injury (SCI) regarding the most essential skills for everyday life were collected.Where and by whom they learned to perform these skills, were also asked. A survey with 24-skills was presented to wheelchair athletes with SCI during the Beijing Paralympics. Respondents were asked to state the essentiality of each skill (1-5; Not essential – extremely essential), and to inform where and by whom they learned to perform each skill. Three visual analog scales (VAS 1-10) were used to examine 1) how SCI perceived their level of wheeled mobility (WM) gained during rehabilitation, 2) to determine the amount of time that was dedicated for teaching WM skills during rehabilitation; and 3) to express their level of WM at present. The study sample (M/F: 49/30, Para/Tetra 64/15) represents 18 countries and 14 sports disciplines. Results revealed that the most essential skill for daily life is “transfer in/out a car” (4.67±0.69). Judged as less essential is a “one-handed wheelie” (1.96±1.36). Of the respondents 57% learned the most essential skills in clinical rehabilitation, while 40% claimed to have learned those skills afterwards in a community setting. Mean ±SD of ‘WM skills gained in rehabilitation’ was 5.4±2.5 and of ‘WM at present’ 8.5±1.5. This revealed a significant increase in WM skill level perceptions over time. The Swedish rehabilitation system received the highest (7.6), and Spanish hospitals the lowest (2.8) scores. It is of greatest importance to incorporate skills that were graded “Very-extremely essential” in inpatient rehabilitation and in post hospital WM workshops. It is recommended to conduct a comparative study of rehabilitation programs in different countries in order to improve WM teaching methods.