More than 30 years after the Air Carrier Access Act became law, air travel is still fraught with barriers for disabled passengers. For Cory Lee Woodard, who has SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), the horrors of flying begin anywhere from 48 to 72 hours before he arrives at the airport. This is when he starts cutting back his food and beverage intake to avoid using airplane lavatories, which don’t meet accessibility standards for wheelchair users. He always tries to tell himself that it’s going to be worth it once he gets to the destination.
Once he arrives at the destination, he’s nervously waiting to see if his wheelchair is going to work and in good condition. A quarter of the time, something is damaged.
Maybe it’s time to lobby Boeing, Airbus and the airline interior designers to provide a space on board for a wheelchair.
To read more about the experiences wheelchair users face when traveling by air, read the full article from Matador Network.
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