Are you surprised a disabled athlete had to drag herself off a plane? I'm not - these stories have become routine

For wheelchair users like myself, having our wheelchairs removed or damaged is the equivalent of amputating or breaking an able-bodied person’s legs

(Getty)

There is a saying that if you give an infinite amount of monkeys enough time and a typewriter they will eventually re-write the entire works of Shakespeare. I have come to the conclusion that the same theory works with a customer services department and handing out press release apologies, in particular within the travel industry and their attitude towards those with disabilities.

As a person with a neuromuscular condition which leaves me reliant on the use of a wheelchair, I understand the difficulties which can arise when attempting to travel while having a disability. Travel on any form of public transport is difficult for me as disabled person. And because I’m unable to transfer from my wheelchair into an airline seat due to the nature of my disability - and airlines won’t let me travel seated in my wheelchair - this means I’m unable to fly abroad like my non-disabled friends. That might seem a first-world problem, but for young disabled people like me, it’s just another thing I’m excluded from.

Experiences like Claire Harvey’s aren’t new. I routinely hear from young disabled people who have been manhandled on flights, or left unable to go to the toilet because there isn’t an accessible one on board, or have landed only to find their wheelchair badly damaged. For wheelchair users like myself, having our wheelchairs removed or damaged is the equivalent of amputating or breaking an able-bodied person’s legs: it deprives us of our independence.

In August, Luke Kenshole, who has cerebral palsy, was told to leave a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Philadelphia (while already on board) on the grounds that he could not fly unaccompanied for Health and Safety reasons. Mr Kenshole had flown previously with British Airways and had not been faced with the same issue. Of course an apology was offered along with financial compensation which would have covered a portion of the ticket price. But I think it is safe to say that throwing money at the situation does not nullify public humiliation.

In October, it was reported that D’Arcee Neal, who also has cerebral palsy, had to crawl on his hands and knees to visit the bathroom and to exit a plane when travelling to Washington DC with United Airlines. The company failed to provide Mr Neal with an aisle chair to aid with transfer – and, of course, they eventually apologised.

Is this the type of society any of us feel proud to live in? Able bodied or disabled, it shouldn’t matter; a person is a person is a person. And sometimes an apology just isn’t enough. It’s time to take action.

Hayleigh Barclay is a member of Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Trailblazers, a network of young disabled people, who campaign for improvements in the airline industry for passengers with disabilities