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Katie Rodriguez
Banister will answer your on line questions! Click
Here to submit a question.
Question for Katie:
How do you board an
airplane in a wheelchair? - Pat
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your question. Traveling by airplane with a physical
disability is not easy, but it can be done and this is how I do it.
I leave for the airport 2 -3 hours before my departure. Most
people I know do this too because of the long lines. I head for my
departure gate and notify the
staff regarding my wheelchair. They tag my wheelchair and usually
tell me that they want to pre-board me before the other passengers.
The airlines do this because people with physical limitations need time
and space to load the plane.
Before I load the plane, I have my aide and my husband take me to the
"family rest room" so that I can empty my bladder. The
bummer part is that I need to lie down to do this. The family
bathrooms are great because there is a lot of space but they only have a
changing table that can hold a small child. So consequently my
aide and husband transfer me to the floor to do my personal care.
Let me tell you, those floors are pretty discussing but we put down a
pad for me to lie on. I can go up to five hours before I need to
empty again so I can only take 3 hour flights at the most. I could
put a tube in me that would stay in all the time but I really don't want
to. Everyone should do what's right for them.
OK, I have an empty bladder and I'm ready to be loaded onto the plane.
I drive my electric wheelchair down to the open door on the plane.
Then I'm transferred and strapped onto a skinny chair that will take me
down the plain's aisle to my seat. Then my aide and my husband
lift me and put me in my seat and I am belted in and ready to go.
My wheelchair is then brought down by an elevator or lift and loaded
into the bottom of the plane with the luggage. In the old days,
when wheelchairs had batteries with acid in them, the batteries had to
be removed and boxed up separately. But now most chairs are
powered by gel batteries or batteries that are sealed and safe for
traveling. But as a precaution I
tape signs to my wheelchair that states "This chair has gel
batteries- do not remove them."
At the end of my flight, I have to wait for the rest of the passengers
to depart before I'm again loaded on the aisle chair and then
transferred back into my electric chair. One time my electric
chair came back in different pieces because the airline staff mistakenly
removed my batteries. Previous
to the flight, I had told the staff at the check in gate that my
batteries did not need to be removed but I guess they didn't communicate
that with the baggage handlers. Thus the reason I now tape signs
to my chair when flying.
I've been treated poorly by some airline staff. I see them roll
their eyes in frustration as I roll towards the cockpit. They look
at me and see a hassle. Something extra they have to do. It
was so bad on one flight I wrote a letter documenting my poor service
and got a letter of apology and free airline tickets! But most
often I've been treated with respect. On one flight I got bumped
up to first class. That was fun!
Overall, traveling by plane is a real hassle. I can do it but it's
not convenient. Also if I fly some place I need a wheelchair
accessible van to get around. Wheelchair Getaways and other
businesses like them, rent vans with wheelchair lifts all over the US
and other places as well. With proper
planning, I've been able to go where I want to.
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I miss the me I used
to be
Standing on my own
But now wheels go 'round,
Freedom Found,
Independence shown
1992 - Katie Rodriguez Banister
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