Saturday, February 19, 2011

Showing Sense

I don't refer to the title of this blog often, because it's mostly a thematic joke my mom's friend came up with. It shows the blog is about books, and also disability stuff, and me, because, well, the title says a lot about who I am, including that Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Jane Austen. But today we're going to talk about something that doesn't make sense, and is disability related.

Let me preface this by saying I have never had a truly poor experience flying due to my disability. I believe this is because:

A. I can walk on and off the plane, though I use a chair within the airport.

B. I was raised to be VERY vocal, but polite, about what I need and don't need. I also am okay about letting people do their jobs, even if it takes a while.

I've flown on numerous airlines, all over the world, and been okay. But not everyone has, and that doesn't make sense.

My mom linked me this yesterday, and it's just one of a string of articles, open letters and complaints I've read regarding people with disabilities and airlines. If we categorize obesity as a disability, the list grows.

Where is the sense in not treating people with disabilities well when they have paid OUT THE NOSE for a plane ticket?

Although, maybe Delta is onto something. People with disabilities need to be treated like everyone else, right? And at this moment, flying is a spirit-breaking, time consuming mess. Why shouldn't it be so for people with disabilities?

It shouldn't be so for anyone. I've spent enough time on trains and buses, and other forms of transportation to know that travel does not, and should not, be as painful as it is on a plane. It most certainly should not be the humiliating ordeal it has become.

Often, people with disabilities don't have the resources to use alternative forms of travel. I, for one, cannot drive a car, so rely on public transport, trains and planes to do my pond hopping and country crossing. And even though I've never been mistreated to the extent of being humiliated, injured, or missing a flight (that's sort of untrue, but it also involved customs), I have been seriously put out of sorts by the obnoxious amount of cattle-like treatment people get for the amount they pay, disabled or not.

Does. Not. Make. Sense.

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