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Disability access in aviation has been placed in the spotlight with a new advocacy campaign.
The campaign, which features disability rights campaigner Shane Hryhorec as well as support from Sophie Morgan of Rights on Flights, looks to raise awareness of “systemic issues in air travel that result in mistreatment, discrimination, and dangerous situations for disabled passengers”.
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According to Hryhorec, chair of Accessible Beaches Australia, people with disabilities are often “left at airports to fend for ourselves or seek the assistance of strangers”.
“Lack of, and inconsistent access, is a problem that affects all people with disabilities when they travel,” he said.
“We are calling for the introduction of minimum standards for airlines, including mandatory wheelchair spaces, hoists at every gate, and comprehensive staff training on how to support passengers with disabilities.
“These standards should be developed in collaboration with people with disabilities from diverse sectors to ensure they address the real issues disabled passengers face.”
In a video released as part of the campaign, Hryhorec shares his personal experiences navigating aviation as a disabled person, and highlights examples of other people with disabilities – including former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott – facing discrimination while flying.
“With the holiday travel season highlighting the frustrations of disabled passengers, the campaign amplifies calls for government action,” he said.
“Disability organisations such as the Paraplegic & Quadriplegic Association of South Australia Ltd (PQSA) and Australian Quadriplegic Association (AQA) have long raised these issues, and it is now time for enforceable solutions.
“Airlines have been given opportunities to address accessibility concerns independently, but voluntary reforms have fallen short.
“This campaign isn’t just about identifying problems. It’s about demanding tangible solutions.”
The federal government in this year’s Aviation White Paper announced moves to improve disability access in the sector.
Among other measures, the government will create new aviation-specific disability standards; require airlines and airports to co-ordinate disability assistance; require airport development plans to detail their disability access, and require airlines to offer “passenger assistance profiles” that passengers can use to list their accessibility requirements in future bookings.
“These are positive steps, but people with disabilities but we want to see more and we don’t want to wait until 2026 to see these changes implemented. We need to see action now,” Hryhorec said.
“Collaboration with people with disabilities and experts is critical to ensure these initiatives meet the needs of the community and deliver meaningful change.”
Airports such as Melbourne and Sunshine Coast have also been making moves in recent years to improve accessibility for disabled travellers.
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says:This is a very emotive topic and of course the response depends upon which side in real life one is; – often people with disabilities have expectations pertaining to their travel needs which conflict with what can actually be done be it at the terminal, boarding or onboard. When our situation changes, that’s all of us, we have to change too! This is true for Bus, Coach, Train and or Taxis whenever we travel. There are degrees of disability, not one size fits all and so from experience, if one needs assistance from ground staff and or flight attendants one should have one’s own escort be it partner/friend/nurse etc. and yes, there will be a cost which is unrealistic to expect the airline to pay for, maybe the NDIS can help. We are in the real world and there aint no fairies out there making our lives easy. A cheaper option and probably the best form for interstate travel would be by train but there again dependent upon the degree of disability an escort may well be the only option. and these matters can be discussed with the service providers medical dept. at the time of making the booking. In some quarters, these words may upset some but, I am being a realist and am very practical in what I do. Travellers’ expectations have to be realistic and practical and most importantly medical staff supplying support data for passenger’s travel must be honest and accurate, it is the patients/passenger’s best interests!
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says:What you say certainly makes a lot of sense (except the train bit, interstate train travel from WA is the most expensive way to travel :-D), but I think the key is consistency. If all travellers know exactly what will happen at boarding, or a security check, for example, then the process will be smooth and as painless as possible for everybody. As a regular non-disabled air traveller I find that the details of the security process can vary flight to flight, depending on staff and which terminal you are departing from. Do I take my laptop out of my bag or not? Well, that depends … different terminals at the same airport may have different equipment, so you do or you don’t, depending where you departing from. From reports I’ve seen of the problems that disabled pax have had their experience are similar and depend on things like:
– The training the security and airline staff have had and how they apply it (or not).
– Whether what the airline communicates as to what they provide in terms of services actually matches what happens – e.g., an airline may offer complete support for a wheelchair for example but not mention until the disabled pax is about to board that their wheelchair is non-compliant, or they can only carry one of two wheelchair pax per flight; and last minute flight cancellations and aircraft changes just exacerbate this.
UK airports and airlines have an excellent assistance system from my wife’s experience – she has mobility issues relating to stairs and walking long distances.