We Will Ride

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We interrupt your regularly scheduled airline travel website to bring you this important message about ground transportation for people with disabilities. BEEP

Join the We Will Ride Campaign to Advocate for Accessible Self-Driving Cars

For millions of Americans with disabilities, accessible transportation remains out of reach. Self-driving cars are an incredible opportunity — but only if automakers start building vehicles all of us can ride. AAPD has convened other disability advocacy groups and advocates to launch “We Will Ride” – a campaign to hold automobile manufacturers accountable for following through on the potential of autonomous vehicles to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Join the call to end the wait for equal access. Sign-on to our letter to automakers and share your story using #WeWillRide.

Teenager with cerebral palsy dumped from Broome flight after staff could not help carer to lift him

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Virgin Australia says it is investigating how and why a wheelchair-bound Kimberley teenager was dumped from one of its flights to Perth.

Sixteen-year-old Anthony, who has cerebral palsy, was due to travel from Broome to Perth for a medical appointment on July 22.

But when Anthony and his carer Heather Hansen arrived at Broome Airport, Virgin staff said they had not received notice of his special requirements and would not be able to assist with getting him on the aircraft.

Read the rest on ABC.

Disabled travelers are finally getting some long-awaited attention

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The domino effect when a disabled traveller has a bad experience is substantial. Everyone up and down the travel food chain is affected, from the airport to the airline to the traveler’s destination plans.

A recent example of the disabled community taking up arms is through a Change.org petition in which close to 200,000 have voiced concern over Britain’s Govia Thameslink Railway. The service reportedly told staff to refrain from helping people with disabilities in accessing their train if there is a possibility that offering assistance will make the service late.

There’s more at Consumer Affairs.