With trips to the airport becoming increasingly complicated, more and more flyers are requesting wheelchairs though the legitimacy of their disabilities is sometimes questionable.
No proof of need is required to receive wheelchair assistance at the airport, but the perks are clear. While most passengers, wait in long lines for security inspection, those with a wheelchair escort are brought to a special Transportation Security Administration screener where they are efficiently whisked through.
Seemingly miraculously, however, many attendants who assist those with disabilities say that once through security, passengers often indicate they no longer need a lift to make it to their gate. Flight attendants report a similar phenomenon whereby passengers who need a wheelchair to board the plane often decline assistance once they reach their destination.
Airline industry officials say they respect passenger requests and hope that opportunists aren’t abusing the service, reports The New York Times. To read more click here.
Yuck. Not all PWD constantly need mobility-assistance (just like it’s possible to need a white cane to navigate but be able to use an e-reader). The article does approach from a “they’re faking it” perspective, though, which worries me: clampdowns hurt actual PWD (who now have to prove need, show extra ID, etc) worse than they would fakers (who just stand in line as usual).
Both are problems: actual faking, and accusations of faking when one isn’t. Reminds me of why the ADA regs restrict service-animal status–people were claiming certifications that they & the animals hadn’t obtained. Gagh!
Unfortunately, there is no easy “fix” for this situation: ask for proof, and the person will SCREAM that they’re being discriminated against — and this isn’t only a problem in the airline industry. I used to work in the Theme Park industry, and it was not uncommon for people to rent a wheelchair to bypass the lines on the most popular attractions…though once we reconfigured our lines so that the wheelchairs could stay with the party while they waited, our wheelchair rentals experienced a precipitous drop in popularity…coincidence? I think not…
Don’t assume and don’t judge.
I can go short distances with my cane. I cannot do long distances due to my balance and very, very slow pace. I cannot stand in line without my left foot swelling out of my shoe. I can leave the gate to go to the bathroom, but I cannot cross the airport.
As an Autistic with Cerebral Palsy, I despise “disability pretenders”.
The National Geographic Channel TV show, “Taboo” profiled one.
I am no “pretender”.
:-(
Interestingly, those with disabilities that don’t require a wheelchair (like my 3 kids with autism) are often shunned and outright ignored when requests are made for things like early boarding.
My child is in a wheelchair. One look at her and you know she is disabled. We were not wisked through anything. We waited much longer through security. Her little palsy hand was scanned over and over again. Help was poor. The ramp people had to help us get across the airport. That was after i said I was just going to put her on a blanket and drag her. (They lost her wheelchair than found it frozen) The help said I couldn’t use thier wheelchair because it was against the policy because she had her own. It was a nightmare. Other travlers started to offer to help. Thats when the ramp guys jumped in and helped (thank god). Needless to say I wouldn’t do it again with out help. Everything was twice as long. We were far from the front of the line.
sincerely,
mom o disabled young adult in west mich
I’d like to see this mythical airport where it’s faster to go through in a wheelchair.
I personally might request a chair based on the size of the airport or distance between gates, but as for it being faster? HAHAHA.
20 minutes to get someone’s attention that you may need mobility assistance. 30 minutes for someone to get a cart/chair because they are SO backed up (even if you can see an unused cart and point it out). The actual travel time between two fixed points is faster, but not when you factor in waiting for the employee, etc.
Then add the mandatory invasive pat down for having a disability, regardless of whether you go through in a chair, walk through, use a cane or crutches – doesn’t matter, full pat down, every time.
TSA is a joke. Every time they have 3-4 people profiling me, I wonder how many folks without disabilities accidentally get through with a weapon* (*scissors, nail clipper, shampoo) while they were scrutinizing me.
But, oh no, the concern is a small number of people–many of whom probably have a LOW ability to walk–getting chairs to their plane but not from it. (I’ll give you a hint: it’s faster and a smaller distance to deplane and leave then it is to go through security before walking the entire length of the airport to find the correct gate and board, which is what effects MY decision to get assistance.)
Real easy fix, if you need to use a wheelchair, bring your own