people have no idea like. how devestating this is. so many wheelchairs are custom made and repairing them is hellish, if they’re in a state to be repaired. most wheelchair users do not have the financial means to replace them, and SSI asset limits mean that if they’re on disability it’s a ridiculous set of hoops to even crowdfund past 2k to repair or replace.
airlines need to be held accountable for this in a major way. they see fucking over disabled people’s lives as more profitable than fixing how they handle wheelchairs. and i mean like, actually ruining lives, taking away comfort and freedom that they worked so, so hard to get. people take their lives because of this.
not-so-friendly reminder that in most cases wheelchairs are legally considered not just a mode of transportation, but an extension of their owner’s body (like a limb or appendage), which is why if you break a part of someone’s wheelchair you can be charged with assault, if you grab the handles of a wheelchair while someone is in it and move it to a location against their will you can be charged with kidnapping, etc. Many well-meaning yet misguided people will compare wheelchairs to cars or bikes in terms of value and necessity, but they are not even close to the true gravity of a damaged or broken wheelchair. If you work for an airline and you are careless with a wheelchair, you’re not popping the tire of a BMW, you’re not cutting the breaks on a bike, you are taking away someone’s legs and then expecting them to deal with it as if you did nothing more than lose a suitcase or crack a phone screen. People need to start realizing the damage they’re causing.
