Mayor Brandon Johnson, MOPD, BACP, and OPSA Announce Emergency Transport of Mobility Device Expansion

CHICAGO - Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the Office of Public Safety Administration (OPSA) along with public safety partners including Chicago Police Department (CPD), Chicago Fire Department (CFD), and Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC), announced the launch of a citywide service to ensure the safe retrieval and transport of mobility devices following medical emergencies that occur in public locations. The initiative marks a significant milestone in improving services for Chicago residents with disabilities and demonstrates the City's continued commitment to accessibility, innovation, and equity.

" When a Chicagoan with a disability faces an emergency, they should be able to focus on getting the care they need, not worry about whether their belongings will be there when they return," said Mayor Brandon Johnson . "My administration has been tenacious in pursuing full-force-of-government solutions and creating and implementing this important community safety solution for our disability community. Together we are showing what's possible when departments remove silos and come together to build an equitable and accessible solution."

This program establishes a coordinated citywide process to recover, transport, securely store when necessary, and return manual and power wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility devices to owners following emergency incidents, including those that may require emergency medical care or transport to a hospital.

"Our disability community elevated that this was an ongoing need, and through this innovative solution, we are building accessibility so that in an emergency, which are typically high stress situations, there is relief in knowing procedures are in place for return of the mobility device, which provide mobility and independence for users," said MOPD Commissioner Rachel Arfa .

Through close coordination among OEMC, CFD, CPD, MOPD, and the City's contracted service provider, mobility devices will be transported, stored when necessary, and then returned to their owners as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"Our public safety partners are proud to lead along with MOPD and BACP in contributing to accessible public safety solutions," said OPSA Executive Director Era Patterson .

Curb is the contracted service partner, and the City of Chicago has an existing successful partnership with Curb to dispatch wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) taxis, completing over 18,000 WAV taxi trips each month. This program adds onto Curb's services, by leveraging the same robust WAV network and efficient dispatch services to deploy quick pick up and return of mobility devices to owners.

"We are proud to partner with Curb to offer this new service," said BACP Commissioner Ivan Capifali. "The new service goal is to protect valuable mobility devices, often customized for a person with disability, and to connect the device owner with the device after emergency ends. This service ensures unoccupied devices are retrieved and provided back to the owner."

The service's start date was on August 1, 2026, and the program is funded through BACP's Accessibility Fund.

"This program is an important victory for people with disabilities and reflects years of sustained advocacy and partnership with the Mayor's Office," said Ryan McGraw, Healthcare/Home and Community Based Services Community Organizer at Access Living . "While more work remains as the program develops, it represents meaningful progress toward ensuring that people with disabilities can seek emergency care with confidence that their mobility devices will be transported safely and not left in the street."

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