A Toronto woman has criticized Air Canada for refusing to store her wheelchair in the plane’s cabin. Lily Martin, who has a spinal cord injury, requires her electric wheelchair to travel. She had booked a flight from Toronto to Vancouver, but was told by Air Canada that they could not store her wheelchair in the cabin and suggested she use a manual wheelchair instead. Martin expressed her frustration on social media, calling out the airline’s lack of accessibility for disabled passengers.
Martin explained that her electric wheelchair was specially designed for her condition and had numerous customizations, making it impossible to use a manual wheelchair. She also expressed concerns over the potential damage to her wheelchair, as well as the possible injury to herself, if she had to transfer to a manual wheelchair or have her electric wheelchair stored in the airplane’s cargo hold.
Air Canada has responded to Martin’s complaint, stating that their policy is to accommodate electric wheelchairs in the cabin if they meet certain size and weight requirements. However, in Martin’s case, the airline determined that her wheelchair did not meet the requirements and could not be accommodated in the cabin. The airline offered to store Martin’s wheelchair in the cargo hold and provide her with a manual wheelchair for use during the flight.
Martin has since stated that Air Canada’s response has been inadequate and that the airline needs to do more to accommodate disabled passengers. Martin stated that the airline’s policies and practices should align with the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Martin’s complaint highlights the ongoing challenges that disabled passengers face when travelling by air. Accessibility remains a major issue in air travel, with many disabled passengers experiencing discrimination and difficulty accessing essential services.
In response to these challenges, the Canadian government has introduced legislation aimed at ensuring greater accessibility in air travel. The Accessible Canada Act was passed in 2019 and mandates the development of accessibility regulations for air travel. These regulations are expected to outline specific requirements for airlines to accommodate disabled passengers and ensure access to essential services.
However, the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act has been slow, with many disabled passengers continuing to experience barriers to air travel. Martin’s case serves as a reminder that there is still much work to be done to ensure that air travel is truly accessible for everyone, regardless of disability.
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