Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA and Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Pittsburgh, USA World-wide this is an interesting time to participate in wheeled mobility research. The population of people who could benefit from wheeled mobility is growing at a rate of 5% percent per year by some estimates and at a rate of 22% per decade by more conservative numbers. Currently, about 100 million people around the planet use or would use a wheelchair if one were available. To this end, the World Health Organization commissioned a report to clarify best practices for wheelchair design, service delivery, and outcome measurement for low-income countries. In many respects this report is a model for all countries. Globally, there are pressures to reduce the costs associated with providing wheeled mobility, which is stifling innovation in some respects, but fueling the drive for greater scientific evidence. This is coupled with greater participation of people with disabilities as designers, engineers, scientists, and clinicians as the impact of accessibility and human-rights egislation begins to take effect. The future likely will require a much higher degree of scientific and medical evidence in order for quality wheeled mobility to be reimbursed by insurance companies. Fortunately, forward thinking clinicians and scientists have already started incorporating greater instrumentation and outcomes data collection. Consumers are becoming more involved in designing and selecting wheeled mobility through web-based tools that allow for wide-spread democratization of information. More educated and engaged clinicians and wheelchairs users who are or who work closely with scientists will eventually lead to greater mobility, community participation, and higher quality designs.