A hidden camera investigation has shed light on the humiliating and sometimes terrifying challenges that people bound to wheelchairs must endure when flying, just as the Canadian government demanded Air Canada defend itself against a series of reports detailing how it has allegedly mistreated AirCanada. clients with disabilities.
The long-running Canadian consumer watchdog series “Marketplace” conducted the investigation, which in part followed a woman named Alessia Di Virgilio as she tried to navigate the difficult and confusing world of flying in a wheelchair, according to the CBC.
“I didn’t feel safe,” said Di Virgilio, who was born with a mobility disability that affects her muscles and lungs, and left her chained to a ventilator and unable to sit up on her own.
“It seemed like people weren’t trained properly,” he said toward the end of his round trip from Toronto to Charlottetown. “People didn’t really know what they were doing.”
The litany of problems Di Virgilio encountered was largely due to a lack of preparation by the airline and its staff, and led to excruciating complications such as having his ventilator disconnected and an elevator falling on his head during the trip.
Alessia Di Virgilio let the CBC follow her on a plane so viewers could see the difficulties she regularly encounters. Toronto Star via Getty Images Many of the problems appeared to stem from poorly trained airline staff. CBC
The Marketplace documentary also highlighted accessibility issues across Canada’s transit systems, including using ride-sharing apps with a service animal or navigating public transportation with a disability, according to CBC.
These problems are overwhelmingly common, according to Jeff Preston, associate professor of disability studies at King’s University College in Ontario.
These problems are very common, according to Jeff Preston, associate professor of disability studies at King’s University College in Ontario.Facebook/Jeff Preston
“This moment of remembering that you do not have the same rights or access as other Canadians, that you are fundamentally asked to live an inferior life because of your difference, that it is your responsibility to fit into this broken system instead of the system that says we need to do fundamentally better,” Preston, who uses an electric wheelchair, told CBC after seeing the footage.
The main problem is that wheelchair users must be separated from their wheelchairs during flights in order to sit in plane seats, Di Virgilio told the network.
Air Canada did not comment specifically on Di Virgilio’s case. Shutterstock
Airlines are supposed to train their staff to move people in wheelchairs, but Di Virgilio doesn’t always trust the training, as evidenced by a shocking incident at Charlottetown airport, where five people moved her by hand and They made him lose the ventilator several times.
Without the tube, Di Virgilio only takes a few breaths before his breathing becomes shallow.
To make matters worse, the elevator they were using tilted and hit her in the head.
“I didn’t have confidence or feel safe,” Di Virgilio said afterward. “Saying the word terrifying doesn’t quite mean [capture] “How do you feel,” he reflected a few days after returning home. “It was such an overwhelming experience… I just shut down from there.”
Di Virgilio uses a fan, which broke down several times during a transfer. CBC
Air Canada declined to comment on Di Virgilio’s case, but said they had since reached out to her to apologize.
“The vast majority of customers with mobility needs traveled without problems and in those relatively rare cases where barriers were encountered, we acted quickly to address concerns,” the airline said in a statement.
Preston, the professor, said Air Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency need to get their act together when it comes to handling accessibility.
“Ultimately, when someone’s rights are violated, when someone is fundamentally treated as less than a person, I think we all have a responsibility to intervene,” he told the station.
“We need to do a much better job of ensuring that what is on paper is actually implemented in the real world. Because that gap, in my experience, can be enormous.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn