Flying While Disabled

Stakeholders, including the airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A), are trying to find ways to transport wheelchairs more safely. “There is an ongoing effort by A4A and our member airlines, together with disability groups and wheelchair manufacturers, to address the most efficient and safe handling and storage guidelines to reduce the number of wheelchairs damaged in air travel,” A4A spokeswoman Alison McAfee said via email.

They are working on a checklist for dimensional, performance and instructional information for assistive technologies; procedures and training for how to handle them; and labeling and design specifications to help manufacturers create devices that are better suited for air travel. McAfee said the organization aims to have the checklist completed by the end of 2019.

Read the full “Wheelchair Rule” story on The Washington Post.

The Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People has produced a video to show the process of flying with a disability, from the planning stages to disembarkation. I think it’s safe to say that the video leaves out and understates a few steps. I.e., the dehydration protocols that disabled people put themselves through are glossed over as “consult with your continence advisor”, and there is absolutely no mention of what to do if you are injured in transport or find your mobility equipment broken upon arrival. Pro tip: don’t leave the airport without filling out the claim form, and don’t believe them if they tell you your equipment is not covered.

Tyler Schilhabel, Independence High School Football coach of Bakersfield, California, is calling foul on United Airlines for not doing enough to accommodate his paralysis during recent flights.

On Facebook, Schilhabel says he and his wife flew to the Dominican Republic for their honeymoon. He says the plane had no ramp or elevator to help him off the plane and his chair was too big. He had to scoot down the aisle floor and essentially hopped down the stairs to get to his wheelchair.

In August 2018, the Paralyzed Veterans of America filed suit against the U.S. Transportation Department to force the implementation of regulations that require single-aisle planes to have wheelchair accessible lavatories. These regulations, originally outlined in the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, have been stalled ever since, with only wide-body jets required to have accessible restrooms since 1990. This lawsuit and the changes it seeks to compel are long overdue — but they don’t go far enough.

Most non-disabled people have no idea how unfriendly the skies can be for travelers with disabilities. They don’t realize that most domestic flights use narrow-body, single-aisle planes — meaning under current regulations, the vast majority of wheelchair users do not have access to a restroom for hours at a time.

Read more about the problem of no accessible bathrooms on airplanes on The Mighty.