State Senate Passes Sen. Fahy’s Consumer Wheelchair Repair Act to End Repair Monopoly

ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, New York State Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany) announced that the State Senate passed her Consumer Wheelchair Repair Act (S.4500 Fahy/A.6569 Bores), aimed at addressing long repair wait times and limited consumer choice for powered wheelchair users. The bill would require manufacturers to provide independent repair providers and wheelchair owners with the necessary parts, tools, and documentation to conduct repairs, ensuring a more competitive and accessible repair market. The bill now heads to the Assembly for approval.

A 2022 survey by U.S. PIRG found that 62% of wheelchair users waited four or more weeks for repairs, and 40% waited seven or more weeks. Additionally, 93% of respondents needed at least one repair in the past year, with 77% requiring two or more repairs. These lengthy delays create significant challenges, sometimes leading to serious medical complications for wheelchair users who rely on their equipment for daily living.

“I’m thrilled that the State Senate has passed my legislation that will provide wheelchair users in New York a real Right to Repair,” said bill sponsor and Senate Disabilities Chair Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany). “For too long, wheelchair users and New Yorkers living with disabilities have faced outrageous delays and exorbitant costs just to repair their own essential mobility equipment. This bill gives consumers the right to access the resources they need to repair their own wheelchairs or work with independent repair providers, cutting down on unnecessary wait times and improving mobility for thousands of New Yorkers. We’re putting power back into the hands of the people who rely on this equipment every day and expanding access to repair shops and consumer choice. Everyone deserves the ability to repair the tools that grant them the ability to live with dignity and independence, and this legislation will make that a reality for New Yorkers living with disabilities. I’m hopeful that the Assembly will pass this legislation before the end of the legislative session.”

New York State became the first state to pass a Digital Right to Repair Act in 2022, and the bill follows a growing national movement toward right-to-repair legislation. Colorado became the first state to pass a wheelchair right-to-repair law in 2022, while others have introduced it in their respective State Legislatures.

Moreover, this legislation seeks to break the monopoly held by a handful of large national suppliers that dominate the wheelchair repair industry, often causing delays and limiting consumer options. Opening the repair market would promote competition, lower costs, and ensure wheelchair users regain their independence more quickly when equipment malfunctions.

"As an occupational therapist, I know that a powered wheelchair is an essential lifeline. Empowering New Yorkers to make their own basic repairs and requiring manufacturers to support them is a critically important consumer protection and a big step forward in our bipartisan effort to ensure that New York is truly inclusive. I'm proud to partner with Sen. Fahy on this critically important bill, and appreciate her ongoing commitment to consumer advocacy dating back to our service in the Assembly and her landmark Digital Right to Repair legislation," said Senator Jake Ashby. 

“As a person that depends on a powerchair for her mobility, having a functioning chair is vital to my health and wellbeing and my ability to live my life,” said Shameka Andrews with Disability Empowered. “I recently spent two months isolated in my home waiting for a wheelchair repair. Back in October of last year, the motor in my chair during a shopping trip to the mall and sat in the mall for two weeks as I waited for a response from the company. This happened on a Sunday and there's no AAA for wheelchairs.”

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