hi my name is Olivia Webb and I'm the
outreach coordinator here at ifixit.com
and I just got back from testifying and
a right to repair hearing in Washington
State so I first heard about right to
repair when somebody I knew started
working at iFixit and they were telling
me about all the advocacy work that I
fix it does to fight for the right to
repair and all of the e-waste that we
generate as a society when we throw away
our phones I always had thought that if
I bought an iPhone or any kind of phone
that that was mine and I owned it and I
could do whatever I want with it but it
turned out that the people who made it
thought differently and they wanted to
control what I did with my property and
I didn't really like that so when I
first found out about the opportunity to
testify in Washington I was really
nervous about it and I was really scared
that these lawmakers and legislators
wouldn't really want to listen to the
testimony of just a young girl and that
I would fall apart and not know what I
was talking about but then I realized
that any voice helps and that I had an
experience and a passion that would help
advance the right to repair in
Washington which could lead to right to
her parent in other states and across
the nation so I was really excited to
share my voice so there were a lot of
different people there to testify in
favor of right to repair there were
business owners and repair shop owners
who had been repairing customers phones
for years we had researchers and even a
youtuber who was there to share the
footage and his experience and I came as
a general consumer I wanted to share my
story and my experience of repair you
definitely do not have to be officially
involved in any organization or even own
a repair shop to testify if write repair
or even just to fight for it I'm just an
average person and I just really was
passionate about what I saw and just
took the first opportunity that I had so
if you want to get involved in right to
repair it's easier than I thought or
maybe you think a great first step is to
go to repair org they have lots of
information about the active bills in
every state and also ways for you to
contact your Senators and
Representatives and just general
information about the right to repair
movement
trust me it's easier than you think if I
can go all the way to Washington to
testify in the hearing
you can call your senator