For me, traveling is about five to ten times harder on my body than staying at home. Toilets are too low, hotel furniture is lower than what I’m used to, beds are either too high or just right and there’s a whole lot more help transferring on and off of every surface I come across.
While it’s fun to see new places, there’s a lot of energy draining moments and times for rest that I don’t usually have to take if I’m at home. This was the first time I went on an airplane for a trip and I was nervous about the boarding process!
For some wheelchair users, the reality of not being able to use their wheelchair after a flight because it’s been damaged is a very real nightmare. The way that a wheelchair is handled while it’s being stored under the plane is crucial to whether or not it will be usable after the flight. This is why I bought a smaller fold up wheelchair for my trip to Washington DC.
The last time I was on an airplane was over ten years ago and I could still get around by walking. This time it’s a little different! Airplane travel is notoriously bad for wheelchair users and that’s been a big reason why I haven’t wanted to brave the skies since becoming a wheelchair user.
Because people aren’t allowed to stay in their wheelchairs during a flight, their wheelchairs are in the hands of the people who stow them under the plane and that’s where they can become broken and mishandled. Airplanes are the only form of transportation that doesn’t allow someone to stay in their wheelchair which is usually fit to their body and so much more comfortable. Cars, buses, and trains let someone stay in their wheelchairs and they are secured to the floor with four straps around the base of their wheelchairs.
About a week ago, I got on an airplane for the first time in almost ten years. The bag checking process was very easy, but that’s also because a very nice United employee helped us. We checked the suitcase with my medical equipment and also had to check my fold up wheelchair (I’m still very nervous about storing my 420 pound Quantum wheelchair under a plane. It’s much more comfortable but I don’t want it to get ruined.) The people that helped us check my wheelchair notified the terminal where we’d board the plane that they would need to store my wheelchair and I requested an aisle wheelchair to take me to my seat. When we got to the terminal, we got to board first so I could transfer with help to the aisle chair which is so skinny that it can fit down the aisle of the plane.
Recently I received an email from the Muscular Dystrophy Association stating that air travel will (hopefully) be changing soon for the better! The email says, “The FAA reauthorization bill, bolstered by provisions championed by MDA, addresses crucial aspects of accessibility in air travel, including the establishment of pathways to wheelchair spots on airplanes, the requirement for continued study on safe wheelchair tie-down systems and evacuation standards for passengers with disabilities, greater information on onboard wheelchair provision and enhanced training standards for assisting passengers who use wheelchairs and for safe stowage of wheelchairs.”
The airplane that I went on had very narrow aisles so I’m interested to see how everything changes. Even though the sign on the airplane’s bathroom says it is wheelchair accessible, someone would still have to stand and get up out of their chair to go inside and those two things definitely don’t work for me. So I’d like to see an actual bathroom that could accommodate my chair.
I look forward to traveling by plane more and hopefully having it become easier for wheelchair users, but we’ll have to wait and see!
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