The events of Wall-E happened over generations. If your associates have forgotten how to walk already then they never knew how to begin with and were just faking it until something came along to save them. So at least now with a wheelchair as a crutch they can actually contribute rather than just pretending to be productive but getting nothing done in reality.
Except you should be comparing it to motorized wheelchairs. Suddenly all your associates forget how to walk, WALL-E style.
The events of Wall-E happened over generations. If your associates have forgotten how to walk already then they never knew how to begin with and were just faking it until something came along to save them. So at least now with a wheelchair as a crutch they can actually contribute rather than just pretending to be productive but getting nothing done in reality.