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A Step in the Right Direction Irritates Me
A recent social media post got under my skin. In it, there’s a link to a story regarding the Miami International Airport installing wheelchair charging stations. Initially, I thought this is a step in the right direction. Now I’m thinking it’s a way to gloss over the real issue of not being able to stay in our chairs for a flight. In the article there’s a quote from the airport’s director, “We understand that we have a responsibility to make sure that we make the magic and the beauty of flight travel as convenient as possible for everyone.” Needing to transfer out of your chair to board a plane is convenient? Risking injury is convenient? Risking damage to your wheelchair is convenient? Not to mention the hassles of positioning so I don’t topple over. Yup, that’s convenient.
I don’t want to undermine the effort of anyone involved in this achievement. Charging stations may be great for some individuals. However, my suspicion is that they’ll be underutilized until the industry reevaluates their efforts to truly make air travel convenient. To me, this feels like a halfhearted effort to appease the disabled community and ignore the actual issue of restrictive air travel.
How do you feel about this story? How do you feel about air travel in general? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject.
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