Organization to press Congress for more airplane wheelchair access for disabled veterans
WASHINGTON, DC (7News) — Flying often leaves many feeling as though they are crammed into a seat that's too tight and offers little room to move.
Heather Ansley from Paralyzed Veterans of America says that for disabled veterans, the experience can be worse -- even humiliating.
“Many of our members have had trouble accessing air travel and have even been injured in the process," Ansley said. "They’ve had their wheelchairs damaged, destroyed or lost and it is a safety and dignity issue.”
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This week Ansley will go before members of Congress and ask for changes that would better allow disabled veterans to not only access airplanes, but also to remain in their wheelchairs.
“In a future perfect world, a person that uses a wheelchair should be able to roll on to an airplane go to a spot designated for them and then lock in or be locked in and fly. Right now, that system exists with other modes of transportation -- trains, busses, -- but not planes," she said.
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Ansley said this is not a new attempt to get changes made -- she says they have been fighting for 40 years.
“We found unless Congress or D.O.T. decides to move the ball forward, the ball doesn’t move very far. As a result, we get more stories of people who’ve been injured or lost their mobility," she said.
