The Biden administration introduced on Thursday that it was proposing new rules for a way airways should deal with passengers in wheelchairs, an effort aimed toward bettering air journey for folks with disabilities.
Beneath the proposed rule, damaging or delaying the return of a wheelchair can be an automated violation of an current federal legislation that bars airways from discriminating in opposition to folks with disabilities. The Transportation Division stated that change would make it simpler for the company to penalize airways for mishandling wheelchairs.
The proposed rules would additionally require extra sturdy coaching for employees who bodily help disabled passengers or deal with their wheelchairs.
“There are tens of millions of Individuals with disabilities who don’t journey by aircraft due to insufficient airline practices and insufficient authorities regulation, however now we’re getting down to change that,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in an announcement. “This new rule would change the best way airways function to make sure that vacationers utilizing wheelchairs can journey safely and with dignity.”
For folks in wheelchairs, flying could be tough and uncomfortable, and errors by airways could make for an much more agonizing expertise. Greater than 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters have been mishandled by airways final yr, in response to the Transportation Division.
The proposed rules add to earlier strikes by the Biden administration meant to enhance the flying expertise for disabled vacationers. In 2022, the Transportation Division revealed a invoice of rights for airline passengers with disabilities. Final yr, the company finalized new rules to require extra business plane to have accessible loos.
