'Mobility Is a Human Right': Washington Governor Signs Wheelchair Right-to-Repair Bill

Dorian Taylor has used a manual wheelchair for 14 years, after losing their mobility in a violent encounter. When they took their chair in for a repair for the first time, what should've been a quick fix took months for manufacturers to get to.

According to a 2022 study, wheelchair repairs typically take four to seven weeks, but some say they've waited for months to have their equipment issues resolved.

"Imagine calling your [car] mechanic for the most simple repair, and not having the ability to schedule it when you need it — just at their convenience," Taylor, a former King County disability equity specialist, said. "A simple repair could take four months to fix. Imagine that kind of service anywhere else."

But this month, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill expanding repair options for wheelchair and mobility equipment users.

Senate Bill 5680 requires wheelchair manufacturers to provide wheelchair owners and repair shops with access to extra parts, tools, and documentation.

The bill pairs with House Bill 1483, known as the "Right to Repair Act," which requires digital electronic manufacturers to make repairs more accessible for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The two issues were introduced as one bill in the state legislative session in 2024, but were ultimately split into two separate bills.

The two right-to-repair laws will go into effect on July 27. 

Several other states have enacted right-to-repair bills in the last five years for consumer electronics, mobility, and other equipment.

"It's safe to say we all know someone who uses a [wheelchair or mobility scooter]," Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-SeaTac) said, "to get to work, to see their friends, to live. That's how vulnerable our friends and family and neighbors are to this issue."

Over 92,000 King County residents reported having an ambulatory disability.

Gregerson had been working on the Right to Repair Consumer Electronics bill since 2020. In 2024, Dr. Marsha Cutting of Bainbridge Island was connected to a team of people working on the bill when she discussed how she had been trying to get her wheelchair repaired for months at a public meeting.

Cutting, who has used a wheelchair since 2011, had a problem with her wheelchair "stopping with no warning," she said. Once, it broke down in the middle of the street in downtown Seattle.

Cutting had been corresponding with the wheelchair's manufacturers for seven months before getting an entirely new chair.

She found there was no official certification or training for wheelchair repairs in the state.

"These companies take their sweet time to repair our wheelchairs, and it is really a violation of our civil rights," Taylor said. "This bill ensures that mobility is a human right. These companies can't just dismiss that anymore."

"People who need mobility devices [have resorted to] becoming their own gadget gurus because they can't afford to sit and wait for months in order to get their devices repaired," Disability Empowerment Center Executive Director Kimberly Meck said. "So with this bill, people [will be able] to go to authorized repair services."

Meck said that disabled people are community members. "We're business owners, we're parents, we're employees, you name it," Meck said. "One of the main pieces [of this law passing] is for people to become aware of the needs of the disability community."