After years of neglecting the needs of disabled travelers, the tourism industry has finally wised up to the fact that individuals with disabilities are as interested in travel as everyone else. Furthermore, the industry now recognizes that its past failure to accommodate the needs of the 25% of the public that lives with disability, has left a whole lot of money on the table. As Easterseals recently reported, “consumers with disabilities and their families activate more than $22 billion in buying power and have $490 billion in disposable income.”
Hence, the tourism industry is evolving. Nowadays, there are travel agencies that specialize in finding disability-friendly tours and accommodations; websites and apps that help disabled tourists find the most accessible routes to their destinations; Â resorts with specially designed programs for children with disabilities; and even airports with sensory rooms.
Despite these advances, most wheelchair users still dread the thought of air travel. That’s because their wheelchairs are frequently damaged when they fly. Indeed, statistics show that 31 wheelchairs are damaged by airline personnel every single day. According to Easterseals, 11,000 wheelchairs were damaged in 2022.Â
But there is good news on the horizon.
On Feb. 29, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a new proposed rule that “would require that airlines meet rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities safely and with dignity.” If approved, the proposed rule would be largest expansion of rights for wheelchair users since 2008. The public has 60 days (since Feb. 29) to comment on the proposed rule.
Among other things, the proposed rule would “mandate enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport.”
The rule would also give the Department of Transportation more leverage “to hold airlines accountable when they damage or delay the return of a wheelchair by making it an automatic violation of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to mishandle wheelchairs.”
While most disability activists are pleased that this issue is getting attention, some wish the rule went further and provided more detail in terms of what would be expected of the airlines. Ideally, activists would like to be able to remain in their own wheelchairs during flights.  While we may not see that anytime soon, DOT reports that the agency has “begun preliminary groundwork” on a rule that would move us closer to that goal.
