08/04/2026
Traveling with our sonās power chair became a hard NO after the first time when they attempted to DISASSEMBLE IT and asked me to get out of the plan and show them how to TAKE THE SEAT OFF š”
I asked them when we were done if my wheelchair mechanic could stop by and fix a few airplanesā¦ they said that he wasnāt qualified.
The screws on wheelchairs are specifically designed so only special tools workāthey stripped 7 screws trying to remove the seat.
I said NEITHER ARE YOU TO TAKE MY SONās $30k š¦¼ APART! Then on the way back they put it in manual and it rolled out of the plane an onto the tarmac. SPLAT. š«
They totaled the wheelchair. Which they told me I could pay the nearly $16,000 worth the repairs that needed to be done and they would send me a check within six months.
ā¦ it is 2026. There is absolutely zero reason except for greed that airplanes are not accessible.
Wheelchair users have every right to travel by plane. Airlines should acknowledge that not all wheelchair users have upper body strength.
DO BETTER AMERICA!!
~Beth
The Broken System of Air Travel for Passengers with Physical Disabilities.
Every time a passenger with a physical disability boards a domestic flight, they are reminded that accessibility is still treated as an accommodation rather than a right.
Weāre the first passengers on the aircraft and the last ones off. We pay the same ticket price as everyone else, yet our travel experience is fundamentally different and flawed.
The first thing weāre asked to do is surrender the one piece of equipment that provides our freedom, independence, security, and mobilityāour wheelchair. For many of us, our wheelchair isnāt luggage. Itās our legs. Yet it disappears into the cargo hold, where it can be damaged, destroyed, or lost before we ever reach our destination.
Once onboard, the barriers continue.
There is still no accessible restroom on the overwhelming majority of domestic aircraft. If a wheelchair user needs to use the restroom during a flight, theyāre often forced into an impossible choice: dehydrate themselves before flying, risk a medical complication, or raise their hand and ask a flight attendant to bring a privacy sheet so they can relieve themselves in their assigned seat.
No other group of passengers is expected to sacrifice their dignity simply because they purchased an airline ticket.
Research continues to demonstrate what the disability community has known for decades:
ā¢ 61% of wheelchair users surveyed reported their mobility device had been damaged during air travel.
ā¢ 81% reported difficulty or were unable to access an aircraft restroom.
ā¢ 60% waited 2ā4 months for repairs or replacement after wheelchair damage.
ā¢ Many described flying as stressful, humiliating, anxiety-inducing, and emotionally exhausting.
This isnāt about asking for special treatment.
Itās about equal treatment.
Itās about protecting the mobility equipment people depend on every single day. Our LEGS
Itās about accessible restrooms that preserve dignity.
Itās about recognizing that accessibility is not a luxuryāitās a civil right.
The Americans with Disabilities Act transformed accessibility on the ground. Itās time for our nationās domestic airline industry to demonstrate the same commitment in the sky.
Until passengers with disabilities can travel with the same dignity, independence, assured, and safety as everyone else, the system remains broken.
Equal ticket. Equal access. Equal dignity.
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United Spinal Association.
Mike Hudson. Michal Parker. Jeremy Chapman. Jay Youngblood. D.j. Haynes. Chastity Gambrell Miller. Michael Rousey. Senator Josh Hawley. Rep. John McCravy. Challenged Athletes Foundation. American Airlines. Delta Air Lines. Greenvillecan. Paralyzed Veterans of America.
