In July, the federal Department of Transportation announced new regulations that mandate single-aisle planes have accessible lavatories for persons with disabilities. Single-aisle planes, originally designed for short hops, are used today for longer flights, causing issues for passengers needing bathroom assistance. Twin-aisle airplanes already have larger lavatories.
The rules don’t take effect until 2035. The announcement came on the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amazingly, the ADA doesn’t apply to travel, but another federal law, the Air Carriers Access Act, mandates transportation equity.
Our country is not there yet; frankly, we’re not even close to meeting the multiple transportation needs of persons with disabilities.
While airlines support the new rules in spirit, some note that accessibility increases the cost of flying. A harsh reality for everyone, but harsher yet for individuals who need to fly but are limited by mobility issues.
Hoosier Ben Trockman, a communications executive for a California-based company and an Evansville City Council member, has advocated access issues with government agencies for over a decade. Trockman has quadriplegia due to a 2007 accident. Trockman, who uses a power chair, can’t fly because airlines require the separation of a passenger and chair. The chair flies in the baggage area.
“I can’t risk my chair being damaged,” said Trockman, “I’m six foot two inches tall and 235 pounds, and an airline chair would not work for me.”
Power wheelchairs are individualized machines and can easily be damaged in baggage. Chairs like Trockman’s cost thousands of dollars and connect him to life-preserving equipment. More significant than cost, he could be miles from home without needed support if something happened to his chair.
Trockman is an enthusiastic advocate for adding a place where wheelchairs could be locked into place for flight, as well as all issues related to disability.
Trockman began his advocacy with affiliation with the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center of Southwestern Indiana and ultimately became a national Easter Seals representative.
“From my vantage point, I look back 10 years, and I had a very unpleasant conversation with the Department of Transportation,” he said. “Someone read from a rule book to me. Their attitude toward me was, ‘Good luck and have a great day.’”
Trockman, who traveled to D.C. for a conference in April that focused on transportation and employment, is optimistic. He explained that, as a nation, we are building things that consider all individuals for transportation.
Trockman’s trip was no easy picnic, as he had to rent a specialized lift and a medical bed, requiring extensive logistical communication with medical equipment vendors and hotels. Trockman admits that getting the right equipment in the right room from a distance was daunting.
Trockman engaged with Kelly Buckland, the disability policy advocate in the Department of Transportation, who reports directly to Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “At the highest level, they (the Department of Transportation) are actively talking about the disability community and making transportation more accessible,” he added.
The new federal mandate also addresses plans to update airport terminals to include wheelchair ramps and more accessible bathrooms, plans to allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs on flights, and increased training for airline employees who physically assist passengers or handle battery-powered chairs or scooters. The All-Stations Accessibility Program awarded $700 million in December 2022 to retrofit old rail and subway stations.
These mandates offer cautious optimism. The federal government should make full transportation accessibility a reality as soon as possible.
Amy McVay Abbott is a retired health care executive in southwestern Indiana who writes on health, disability, caregiving, relationships, history and culture.
