The FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law this month, includes several provisions to improve accommodating travelers with disabilities. (Thinkstock)
People with disabilities will see big improvements in air travel thanks to a number of changes included in a major reauthorization of federal aviation programs.
The bill, signed by President Joe Biden this month, includes new requirements for airline employees to assist wheelchair users, improve airport accessibility and enforce rules to protect the rights of passengers with disabilities.
The law requires airline employees to receive training before assisting passengers in aisle wheelchairs or stowing wheelchairs or other mobility devices, requires airline websites, apps and kiosks to be accessible, and stipulates that the FAA must review airplane evacuation procedures to ensure all passengers can quickly deplane in an emergency.
ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW
The law allows people with disabilities to request seating adjustments on airplanes so they can, for example, sit with a companion, have more legroom, or be closer to a bathroom. Additionally, lawmakers took steps to ensure people know they can reserve wheelchairs on board.
All mid-size and large airports would be required to install or maintain at least one universal changing station (designed to allow caregivers to assist people of all sizes who cannot use a restroom) in each terminal and post signs indicating the locations of these changing stations. The legislation also establishes a new pilot program to provide grants to improve airport accessibility.
The bill also requires the Secretary of Transportation to submit to Congress within a year a “strategic roadmap” on the feasibility of wheelchair restraints on commercial aircraft. If the idea is deemed feasible, the Secretary of Transportation would be tasked with preparing a two-year report studying the economic and financial impacts of wheelchair-accommodating seating configurations on flights.
The bill “represents the most significant effort by Congress in more than a decade to make flying safer, more convenient and more accessible for passengers with disabilities,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who uses a wheelchair and has been the driving force behind many of the disability provisions.
Steve Cullen, president of All Wheels Up, a nonprofit group that funds research into wheelchairs on airplanes, said it was important that Congress mandated that training for aisle wheelchair attendants teach employees “how to effectively communicate with and receive instructions from passengers.”
“Wheelchair passengers pose more personal risk than the average passenger when traveling by air, primarily due to their need for physical mobility,” Cullen said. “To protect passengers’ personal health, safety and dignity, airport and airline personnel who assist wheelchair users should be trained in standards of care and best practices, including listening to what works for the health of passengers with disabilities.”
Read more stories like this: Sign up for Disability Scoop’s free email newsletter to receive the latest developmental disability news straight to your inbox.