Proposed federal legislation would improve safety for airline passengers in wheelchairs. | Steve Buissinne/Pixabay
Proposed federal legislation would improve safety for airline passengers in wheelchairs. | Steve Buissinne/Pixabay
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are among the sponsors of legislation to make air travel safer for passengers in wheelchairs.
"@SenDuckworth is a fierce advocate for Americans with disabilities and I am proud to team up with her to improve accessibility when flying," Baldwin tweeted. "I introduced the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act because everyone deserves to fly with dignity.”
Duckworth lost her legs as a veteran in the Iraq war when the Blackhawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
"Wheelchairs should be treated like a human limb because they're my legs," Duckworth told Business Insider. "When you break my wheelchair, or you lose my wheelchair, you've taken away my legs."
The legislation would require that "airplanes are designed to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities by requiring airlines to meet defined accessibility standards," Baldwin said in a news release. "These standards will address safe and effective boarding and deplaning, visually accessible announcements, seating accommodations, lavatories and better stowage options for assistive devices."
It would require airlines to remove access barriers on existing planes, "to the extent that it is readily achievable, easily accomplishable and may be done without much difficulty or expense," the news release said.
The legislation would improve overall safety of air travels for disabled passengers, Baldwin said.
In July, there were 834 incidents of "mishandled" wheelchairs and scooters by U.S. airlines, an average of 28 a day, Business Insider reported.
.
Alerts Sign-up