The chair of the disability royal commission has written to Australian airline and airport chiefs about improving their treatment of travellers with disabilities, after the inquiry heard stories of people dropped on the floor and discrimination against assistance dogs, The Guardian reports.
The royal commission has so far heard that people with disabilities are routinely subject to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation when flying domestically, with participants telling the inquiry they felt airlines were “dehumanising” them and that complaints were rarely followed up. Advocates have told Guardian Australia that complaining through the Australian Human Rights Commission is often the only way to seek recourse.
In a letter sent to the various chief executives this week, Ronald Sackville KC outlined concerns that people with disabilities have reported to the royal commission, with travellers frequently facing “inaccessible facilities and services” and “unhelpful practices and systems adopted by airlines”.
Sackville listed shortcomings raised by people with disabilities that airlines and airports could address to make flying “a more inclusive experience”.
“People with disability often experience avoidable challenges when travelling by air,” Sackville wrote. “More can be done by airlines and domestic airports to address those challenges.”
Sackville wrote about how people with disabilities had told the commission that their wheelchairs had been damaged during travel and that airlines had not taken responsibility to rectify the issue.
He also outlined stories of travellers with disability who were dropped on the floor because the hoist that accommodates wheelchairs was not being used correctly by air staff.
Limited access to safe ramps and discrimination against people who rely on assistance dogs was also flagged by the commissioner.
Sackville’s letter follows workshops with 60 Australians with a disability last year about their experiences, which also found that discrimination and poor service were more prominent amid flight cancellations – which were at record levels in the middle of last year.
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Australia’s airlines and airports urged to improve treatment of travellers with disabilities (The Guardian)
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