The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in the aerobic response to wheeling between wheelchair dependent individuals and able-bodied individuals of similar genders and ages. Five wheelchair dependent men (WC) and five able-bodied men (AB) performed a 13 minute wheeling test (5 min. at rest, 8 min. wheeling) at 4.0 km∙hr-1. Heart rate (HR) and VO2 were recorded using a Vmax ST system during the constant speed test. There was no significant difference in HR or VO2 between the two groups during rest. Both HR and VO2 were higher for WC during exercise. The mean METS during exercise for WC and AB were 3.589 ± 0.516 and 2.726 ± 0.164, respectively. The results indicate that at a given workload a spinal cord injured wheelchair user will have a greater aerobic response than an able-bodied person in a wheelchair completing the same task.