Self-Healing: Clearing the Way for Mobility Technology

by Candace Kolter

Do you know anyone who has a disability? Do you know anything about what it takes to get equipment repaired for the disabled? For those of us who are able-bodied and self-leaders, it’s possible we have never considered the regulatory nightmare that those with disabilities encounter. I personally did not realize how it was for others until recently.

Here is Louis Rossmann, speaking on behalf of The Mobility Independence Foundation, to give us some insight on how others still need a way to reach independence:

Most people don’t understand how government regulations stand in the way of millions of people accessing and repairing the mobility technology they need, such as wheelchairs, to live a full and productive life. Mobility devices today use proprietary parts, locked-down software, and bloated service monopolies to make sure only the manufacturer can fix them, at inflated prices and on their own time. Real people are left stranded in their homes, stuck in bed, or forced to wait weeks just to get something as simple as a joystick replaced.

It’s time to be an advocate for Right to Repair and open-source technology on a larger scale. Technology is the greatest equalizer in the ability community. Between the knowledge available online and the popularity of technology like 3D printers, individuals with limited mobility could fix or even improve their mobility equipment more easily than ever. Unfortunately, here’s the problem.

The FDA currently considers wheelchairs and other mobility devices to be the same as a prescription, and people are told they cannot modify or repair them. They are stuck relying on government programs and insurance companies. They want a regulation-free zone just like the rest of us do. Costs would go down and they would have much more freedom.