On May 15...
when I g
o to the airport, I can't simply board the airplane like all the other passengers. I use a power wheelchair and I can't take it on board with me. So to travel by plane, I have to be lifted by strangers from my own wheelchair into an ill-fitting chair to get down the aisle to my seat. I'm a big guy – 6' 2" and 230 pounds – so lifting me is no small feat.
I'm forced to stow my personal wheelchair below the plane with no guarantee that it will come back in one piece. This chair was made just for me, and cost about $40,000. Proper seating is really important to my health. I might develop pressure sores from the airline seat which could put me in the hospital or worse.
In 2012, when I was a National Representative for Easter Seals, my family drove from Indiana to New Orleans to San Diego and back. These were long drives, but they were our only option because airlines cannot accommodate me.
