ORLANDO, Fla. — State lawmakers are debating ways to make it easier for wheelchair users to make repairs quickly and affordably.
What You Need To Know
The Florida Right to Repair Act for Mobility Devices would speed up wheelchair repairs and try to keep costs reasonable
Some users say they do not have access to their wheelchairs for months while they are in the repair shop
State Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando is a co-sponsor of the bill
It’s called the Right to Repair Act for Mobility Devices and would require wheelchair manufacturers to make repair parts and instructions available to owners.
Andrew Wiater is an intern at the Center for Independent Living (CIL). The nonprofit serves Central Florida residents with a range of disabilities.
“Without my wheelchair, I wouldn’t have the freedom to be able to be a college student or intern here, or do any of the things I do on a daily basis,” he said.
Wiater says two years ago he had to wait a few months for his motorized wheelchair to be repaired, slowing his weekly routines while he used a loaner chair.
CIL President and CEO Charlotte Leavitt believes the Right to Repair Act for Mobility Devices is urgently needed. She compares the current situation for many wheelchair users to having your car in the repair shop for months.
“Right now, it can take weeks. It can take months that people do not have these devices,” she said. “It’s negatively impacting not only their ability to do those daily tasks but also their mental health.”
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, the bill’s co-sponsor, sent Spectrum News 13 a statement that says in part, “The current lack of repair options leaves too many people stranded, unable to live their lives fully and independently. This Right to Repair Act will put the power back into the hands of wheelchair users and ensure their mobility and dignity are never compromised by unnecessary delays or exorbitant costs.”
Glen Mather is founder of Chair the Love, a Lake County nonprofit that has distributed 20,000 wheelchairs to people in Florida and around the world over the last 15 years. Mather says some wheelchair parts can be expensive and hard to get, adding to repair costs and leaving users in limbo.
“You can’t move, and you rely on everybody else,” he said
In February, Mather’s team distributed 280 wheelchairs to individuals in the Dominican Republic. He has witnessed thousands of lives being transformed around the world by the gift of mobility.
“This is a movement. No one should be without a wheelchair that needs one,” he said.
Wiater urges Florida lawmakers to pass the Right to Repair bill into law so wheelchair users can maintain their budgets and their mobility.
“If they don’t have access to repairs, they’re not able to live independently, which then leads them to feel isolated,” he said.
Eskamani tells Spectrum News the bill is still being debated in the House, but it is stalled in the state Senate.