20-05-2025
‘Common sense': Oregon House considers bill to make wheelchair repairs much easier
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection is taking up a bill aimed at making it easier to fix wheelchairs for those who rely on them.
The current system forces people to contact their Assistive Technology Professional, occupational therapist, or physical therapist in order to get permission to fix their chair.
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This means that when a wheelchair breaks in Oregon, the user has to go through a lengthy process to get it repaired, and that can leave users stranded or bedridden for weeks at a time.
Activists like West Livaudais, the executive director of , say would change that.
'And what this bill would allow us to do is have access to third-party providers that have the parts, have the knowledge and the tools to fix our chairs or we ourselves could do that and not have to wait weeks or months to get simple repairs,' Livaudais said.
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Under SB 550, customers and independent shops would get the same access to repair resources as authorized repair shops.
'It's common sense and it sends the power back to Oregonians who depend on wheelchairs and other mobility devices,' Sen. Janeen Sollman (D-Washington County) said in an earlier statement. 'I don't want anyone waiting weeks or months for equipment to be fixed, or spending way more than necessary on a repair that could be done at home or at a local shop.'
The bill was introduced and in February. If it passes the House, it will head the Gov. Tina Kotek's desk.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story.
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