Airline accessibility is necessary to ensure equitable and safe travel experiences for the disability community. Despite all the progress that we’ve made in passing legislation and improving accessibility of the seats and restrooms, the fight is far from over. Every day wheelchair users face an uphill battle to travel without injury or damage to their mobility devices. We will continue to elevate these stories until changes are made.
Family of quadriplegic file lawsuit against United Airlines
NJ Foster, a then-21-year-old university student and quadriplegic, sustained a catastrophic brain injury while deplaning a United flight in 2019. According to a press release, NJ’s mother disclosed her son’s quadriplegia and dependence on a ventilator to breathe. She requested onboarding and deplaning assistance for her son.
The details of the incident are graphic, and NJ is not expected to recover. The case, Nathaniel Foster, et al. v. United Airlines, Inc. et al. is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 7, 2023. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a disabled person received a life-altering injury or death due to airline negligence.
Read more: Advocates Express Fear and Rage at Latest Wheelchair User’s Death-by-Airline
KLM refused to board two wheelchair users traveling together
Jillian Moore and her partner were denied access to a KLM flight due to the fact that they were both wheelchair users. “Today, we were denied entry onto our flight home because of our disability. @klm wouldn’t allow us onto our flight because we didn’t have ‘an able-bodied chaperone’ flying with us,” says Moore. “They refused to help us afterward at all and directed us to Delta. The real pickle here was that we flew to Europe completely on KLM.”
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Luckily, the Delta agents were extremely accommodating and went above and beyond to find the pair a solution. But the blatant discrimination did not go unnoticed.
“For the most part I feel pretty confident about getting around the world. I know how to advocate for myself and I feel people generally want to learn and do better,” said Jillian. “Today feels pretty crappy. There are some moments where there’s truly nothing we can do, and we’re at the mercy of someone else’s bias.”
‘When Delta simply forgets to put your chair on the plane’
Lauren Gibbs, a wheelchair user with spinal muscular atrophy, was traveling from Chicago to South Dakota to speak at an event for a pharmaceutical company. When she arrived at her layover in Minneapolis, she was informed that her wheelchair didn’t make it because the staff never loaded it onto the plane.
Her wheelchair was boarded onto another plane from Chicago and it didn’t arrive until 8 pm, which left her waiting in the airport without her device for over five hours. Gibbs described the situation as “nightmarish” and didn’t make it to her destination until the next day.
These are just three recent stories, but there are countless others. Many wheelchair users are sharing their #JustPlaneWrong stories on social media and with their representatives through our ACAA Action Alert. Don’t let your voice go unheard!
Featured illustration by Josh Keller.
Find information and resources for individuals with disabilities to ensure accessible air travel. By joining our Grassroots Advocacy Network, wheelchair users can play an active role in shaping policies that impact their daily lives and help ensure that their voices are heard by those in power.
