A suit filed today in Detroit alleges that five passengers with disabilities were mistreated by Detroit Metro Airport and Northwest Airlines. The lawsuit, which seeks no monetary damages, says airport and airlines staff dropped passengers with disabilities on the floor, damaged wheelchairs, failed to provide boarding assistance, and refused to provide an area where service dogs could eliminate. Richard Bernstein, a lawyer who is blind and uses Metro Airport regularly, filed the suit. He asks that Northwest and Metro Airport comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Air Carrier Access Act, and the Rehabilitation Act, all federal laws which he says the airline and airport have violated.
Northwest responds, "NWA has a solid record of compliance in this area, and is an industry leader, with the establishment of our consumer advisory board, which provides us with direct input from disability advocates." Metro Airport has so far declined to comment on the pending legal action.
People with disabilities traveling by air can often expect to encounter at best inconvenience, and, at worst, complete inaccessbility. We reported recently that Michelle Daley, a wheelchair user, was barred from a flight due to her disability. Popular blogger and professional dancer Wheelchair Dancer recently blogged about experiencing damage to her wheelchair after a United Airlines flight, and had previously discussed the same airline's excuses for not storing her chair safely in an onboard closet as per her requests.
It's also not the first time Northwest has been sued for alleged discrimination against persons with disabilities. In 2001, the carrier was named in a class action lawsuit, at the crux of which was a "zero acceptability" policy that prohibited hiring people with conditions including insulin-dependent diabetes for some jobs with the airline.
Have you experienced discrimination while traveling by air? Got a good experience with an accomodating airline to share? Can you comment on conditions at Detroit Metro Airport or travel experiences with Northwest? Leave a comment, or check out the thead I started in Disaboom Politics Discussions.
