No Quick Fix

Paralyzed from the waist down after being struck by a truck in 2012, Douglas Howey is one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on what is known as “complex rehabilitation technology.” In Howey’s case: a Permobil F5 Corpus motorized wheelchair outfitted with an elevator lift motor, two batteries, headlights, and a joystick. Brand-new, it retails for almost $35,000.

In just two years, Howey logged 4,000 miles in his chair. Then, in early August, a bearing seized, stranding him in bed until he could get a technician to service the chair. Howey called Numotion, the manufacturer