We’re forging new partnerships to make flying dignified and safe

United Spinal Association is forging partnerships with policymakers, airlines, and other key stakeholders to make convenient and safe flying for people with disabilities possible. The following developments are possible because of everyone who shared their stories as part of our relentless push towards equality, which has also won us important gains in the civil rights landscape.

United Spinal Association is working with United Airlines to make flying easier for wheelchair users. Thanks to updates to its booking software, United Airlines will offer us the opportunity to sort and select flights based on factors such as whether our chair will fit through the cargo door. The airline is also testing how to provide more effective customer service when our wheelchairs are damaged in transit.

Together with executives from United Airlines, we broke the news about our partnership in USA Today. It is my sincere hope that this story becomes a clarion call for all the other major carriers in the U.S., and that our partnership with United Airlines becomes a model for other opportunities. We hope that the airline industry will continue to dare to surprise us.

This victory came about because of pressure from grassroots advocacy by our members and other disability organizations, including online campaigns, lawsuits, talks with policy-makers and behind-the-scenes negotiations with airlines. Because of you, the most significant bill since the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to enforce safety in the air for our community is being finalized on Capitol Hill. And because of you, Congress mandated the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, which makes clear the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act.

We must keep pushing

We all have a lot to be proud of-and there is more to come. We must keep telling our stories and be crystal clear about what we require when we take to the skies. Our bodily integrity and our wheelchairs depend on it. The government and the airlines are listening now-that much is clear. They are willing to make changes to the status quo, but it's up to us to keep up the pressure. We are the ones we have been waiting for.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is accepting comments on a rule that could make it easier for us to board and exit airplanes more safely and for our wheelchairs to be the same shape they were when we checked in. There is still time for you to share your experience and thoughts with DOT as comments don't close until May 13^th.

Although our efforts have precipitated a generational breakthrough for accessible air travel, let's remain aware that progress does not happen overnight. Incremental change is the backbone of big, historic wins. We must keep pushing. We will not stop until wheelchair users can fly as comfortably and safely as every other airline passenger.

There will be more news to come in the next few months. Please continue to support our efforts by donating during this Giving Week. Your gifts will enable us to continue making breakthroughs in airline travel and so much more. (get link)

I want to close with one thing I am sure of: we can only accomplish great things if we maintain strength in numbers. Join us and become an advocate-be a part of this historic movement fighting for our right to fly safely.

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