May 19, 2025 – Disability Rights Washington joined Governor Ferguson, Senator Hansen and Representative Gregerson in Olympia today at the bill signing for SB 5680. This bill requires wheelchair manufacturers to provide wheelchair owners and independent repair shops with the parts, tools and information needed to repair mobility devices.
Two national companies dominate the wheelchair industry and do not prioritize repairs. A national survey found 62 percent of wheelchair users waited four or more weeks for repairs while 40 percent waited seven or more weeks. SB 5680 gives wheelchair users, their friends, and their families the tools to fix their chairs in a timely manner when the current system fails them.
“For people with disabilities who rely on wheelchairs for mobility, these devices become extensions of our bodies. Having the ability to seek out independent options for repairs is crucial for our independence and autonomy, and the passage of this bill could save an individual from spending days, weeks, and even months confined to home, bed, or even worse,” said Kenny Salvini, Cofounder and President of The Here and Now Project.
Representative Mia Gregerson led the effort to pass the legislation. “This piece of legislation is one of the most important things that I have worked on when it comes to having users and consumers lead on this issue,” she said on the House floor. “They are the experts when it comes to making sure that their devices, their equipment is working. And we are failing this community by not having more people available, more tools, more parts, the data that they need.”
Disabled activists, The Here & Now Project, Disability Rights Washington, Zero Waste Washington, and Public Interest Research Group campaigned against strong industry opposition pushing to weaken the legislation. People in wheelchairs rallied in Olympia, testified at hearings, and packed a committee executive session with the message “my body, my wheelchair, my choice.”
After narrowly passing out of committee, SB 5680 passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.
“We’re so glad that when it came time to take a vote, every Washington State legislator recognized that the heart of this bill wasn’t just about specialized parts; it is about trusting people with disabilities to make our own decisions free from the profit-driven restrictions of corporate special interests,” said Matt Clark, a wheelchair user and activist.
Washington is now the second state in the country to pass strong repair protections for the people who depend on mobility devices.
Marsha Cutting, an activist who was instrumental to getting wheelchairs included in right to repair legislation, said, “Our wheelchairs are critical to accessing work, healthcare, and recreation. We’d rather have the wheelchair companies fix our chairs, but when it takes them weeks or even months, we need another option. Now we have it!”
DRW would like to thank Representative Mia Gregerson, Representative Cindy Ryu, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, Senator Drew Hansen, Zero Waste Washington, Public Interest Research Group, KC Help, Marsha Cutting, Matt Clark and The Here and Now Project for their collaboration and advocacy in this work.
The new law goes into effect 90 days after the end of this legislative session.