OLYMPIA – People with disabilities will soon have more options for repairing their wheelchairs when they break down, under legislation signed into law Monday.
Senate Bill 5680, sponsored by Sen. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island), will require wheelchair equipment manufacturers to provide wheelchair owners and independent repair providers access to documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, and tools.
“If something goes wrong with your wheelchair, you should be able to fix it yourself or take it to a small business to get it fixed,” Hansen said. “This bill is long overdue; we want people with wheelchairs to have choices for how to repair their equipment.”
A 2022 study found a majority of respondents had repair times of at least four weeks, but often people had to wait seven weeks or more.
Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-SeaTac) led the policy work on the bill and sponsored the bill’s House version.
“People who rely on mobility equipment are the real experts on their devices. They deserve better access to the parts, tools, and information needed to keep their equipment working, so they can travel safely — whether it’s to a doctor’s appointment or to work,” Gregerson said. “This community-driven legislation builds on the important work done in other states, and I’m incredibly proud to have partnered with Sen. Hansen on this measure. Washington state can now join the growing national movement for the right to repair.”
The bill, which passed the House and Senate unanimously, also has support from Disability Rights Washington, WashPIRG, and other disability rights advocates.
“If your car breaks down, you can get a ride from a friend. You could borrow a car. You could take public transit. When our chairs break down, we have none of those options. Unless we have a functioning backup chair, which is almost never covered by insurance, we are just stuck at home or in some cases stuck in our beds,” said Dr. Marsha Cutting, who brought the idea for the bill to legislators. “We need our chairs to be functioning in order to live our lives, and we deserve to have what we need for a family member or a friend to be able to fix them in a timely fashion.”
Colorado passed similar legislation in 2022. The new law will take effect July 27.
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