By Arthur A. Burley 
People who are disabled or unable to walk can have mobility restored by wheelchairs. This could be a common scenario over a lifetime due to injuries, illnesses, neurological conditions, and disabling conditions such as arthritis. A quick fix is necessary when the wheelchair technology or parts stop working.
This is something I have experienced firsthand. Multiple sclerosis has made it impossible for me to walk in my home of 1911. I have small scooters that I use on each floor. The rest of the house is accessible with ramps and stairlifts. When I switched on my second-floor scooter-type wheelchair, sparks rose from the top of the steering column. Then came smoke and the bitter smell of burned electrical wires. It was Friday afternoon. There is no emergency service for scooters and wheelchairs. What now?
Recurring wheelchair repairs are more than an inconvenience
The Wheelchairs enable millions of Americans with mobility impairment to participate in everyday activities and communities (note: automatic downloading). This improves our physical and mental well-being and overall quality of living.
My only choice was to have my husband take my scooter from the first floor to the second. While my husband took my meals upstairs, I waited for repairs to the now-inoperable scooter. I could use both floors of the scooters again because I had used the same small assistive tech company for over 20 years. I also have the owner’s number on my cell phone. My confinement lasted just four days. I am certain that I was fortunate on many levels.
What if I was alone and didn’t have an operational scooter or couldn’t wait for four days? What about those who have to wait longer for assistance with an essential device? The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), prohibits discriminatory policies, and requires physical access in public spaces and services. However, there is nothing specific about this issue.
How often do wheelchairs fail?
A wheelchair should be reliable and safe and it should match your activities and functional needs. It should offer strong postural support as well as seating that prevents pressure injuries. You might be able to drive a manual wheelchair yourself, depending on your strength and endurance. You might also need a power wheelchair or mobility scooter propelled by a battery-powered engine. This motor might have sip-and puff operational assistance, or even a trackball that can be operated from your chin.
All wheelchairs, regardless of their complexity — from simple manual wheelchairs to complex rehab power chairs — can fail, leaving their users without a choice. Common factors include broken pavement, poor curb cuts or soft soil, steep inclines, inclement weather and poor wheelchair design.
A study of 591 users of wheelchairs with spinal cord injury found that 64% had needed at least one wheelchair repair within the last six months. For manual wheelchair users, casters and wheels were the most problematic (46%). For power wheelchair users, the most problematic systems were electrical systems (29%) and power/control (27%) In recent years, wheelchair accidents have increased. rates of wheelchair malfunctions vary between wheelchair manufacturers.
Repairs can be costly in many ways. An analysis of 533 people who use wheelchairs with spinal cord injuries found that:
- Repair costs out-of-pocket ranged between $50 and $620 (the median cost, or middlepoint, was $150).
- The time it took to experience adverse consequences due to a wheelchair breaking down before repair was between two and 17 days. The median was five days.
- According to adverse consequences, 27% of those who reported them were left stranded in their homes, while 12% were trapped in their beds, and 9% were left stranded outside their homes.