The busy holiday travel season is here. AAA projects nearly 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday, Dec. 21 and Wednesday, Jan. 1.
Nearly 8 million of those travelers will get where they're going by air — a new expected record from AAA.
The University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute (HDI) works to better understand the challenges people who use wheelchairs face when traveling.
HDI partnered with the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to discuss opportunities for the advancement of accessibility in air travel and to inspire change across the aviation industry. The conversation was part of a virtual panel held in the spring.
Four wheelchair users shared their experiences traveling through CVG, and UK's Jason Jones moderated the discussion. Jones is a disability/advocate specialist with HDI and co-founder of the Kentucky Congress on Spinal Cord Injury.
During the discussion, the panelists praised CVG's accessible environment including the airport's easy-to-navigate, wide hallways.
They also highlighted improvements that could be considered across the aviation industry. The group spoke about misconceptions when they travel by air. For example, many times they have experienced being assigned an aisle seat on the plane due to the perception that it may be easier for them to transfer from their wheelchair to their assigned seat.
HDI's Walt Bower, Ph.D., preservice training coordinator, and Julie Pfeiffer, a Ph.D. student in the College of Education, helped organize the panel.
The two previously worked together on an interview project to better understand the travel experiences of Kentuckians who use wheelchairs.
"True accessibility begins with understanding," said Bower. "Recognizing the unique challenges people who use wheelchairs face when traveling by air is the first step toward building a more inclusive world where every trip is seamless and dignified."
Jones said he often has an experience when a person incorrectly assumes he cannot make decisions for himself and asks questions to the person he is traveling with instead of directly speaking with him. He said another common frustration involves fellow travelers seeing people who are in wheelchairs and choosing not to speak to them because they are afraid of making a mistake.
"Don't miss out on developing a relationship with somebody because you're scared that you're going to do something wrong. At the end of the day, it's about inclusion and making everybody feel like they're part of something," said Jones.
Each of these experts underscore the importance of others recognizing that a wheelchair is an extension of a disabled person's body. It is critical for wheelchairs to be taken good care of by aviation workers.
In addition, wheelchair users can take advantage of accessibility resources that CVG has made available.
All travelers can contact their airline in advance of travel to communicate specific needs and request accommodations. For wheelchair users, this is a good opportunity to discuss your device's specific care instructions.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offers personalized assistance during screening through the TSA Cares program. Contact TSA in advance of travel to request this service.
