Defeat Duchenne Canada wants air travel accessible for all who require wheelchairs for mobility.
Ron and Eilene Lepofsky of Thornhill, Ontario want to take their 12-year-old granddaughter on a Make a Wish trip. However, their granddaughter has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and requires a wheelchair for mobility – a wheelchair that cannot be accommodated on an airplane. The Lepofsky family isn’t alone; there are approximately 288,000 Canadians (1% of the population)1 who require wheelchairs for mobility, yet airplanes are not able to accommodate wheelchairs.
In 2023, Air Canada committed to providing specialized lifts and other accommodations to help people with wheelchairs access travel by plane, such as Paralympian Brock Richardson who helped with a CBC Marketplace investigation into wheelchair accessibility. Now late in 2024, many of their commitments have not been achieved.2
The issue isn’t just one for Air Canada. A recent study found that there were three areas that limited air travel for people who required wheelchairs due to spinal cord injury or disorders. While accessibility at airports is not generally an issue, physical barriers to accessing the actual aircraft were a significant issue, which can include damage to the wheelchair. Undertrained staff is also considered an issue that negatively impacts accessibility to the plane.3
Anita Anand, the newly appointed Minister of Transportation, posted “Canadians with disabilities deserve equal rights and access when travelling. They must be treated with respect and dignity throughout their journey” on X.com (see video statement). Anand calls accessibility and safety top priorities for air, rail, and freight passengers, yet as recently as November 2024, lifts are not readily accessible in all planes or destinations, airline staff are not adequately trained, and wheelchairs may be broken during flights, resulting in reduced quality of life and independence during and after the flight.2
Jeff Preston, an associate professor of disability studies at King’s University College in London, Ontario, and a current board member and past chair of Defeat Duchenne Canada, commented on this accessibility issue. “If you go to the movie theatre… there are spots that are designated for people with disabilities,” Preston said on the topic.
Advocates like the Lepofsky family and others2 want to see these designated areas for wheelchairs on flights.
“I understand there is currently a Canadian Transportation Agency and Transport Canada feasibility study underway, to establish how to provide wheelchair access on Canadian airlines. The success of such a project would be of great benefit to our members as well as to all other Canadian and internationally bound users of wheelchairs.”
The Lepofsky Family
The Lepofsky family calls on Canadians to petition the government to expedite the process and have wheelchair accessibility on all flights: “Our goal is for everyone in wheelchairs to have unfettered access to Canadian airlines, while remaining in their wheelchairs.”
They ask all to email the following contacts to express the urgency of the matter at:
- France Pegeot, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency, [email protected]
- Minister Anita Anand, Minister of Transportation, [email protected]
- Paul Sandhar-Cruz, Director General, Strategic Policy, at Transport Canada, [email protected]
The Lepofsky family provided the following letter that people may consider using as a template for their emails. You are also encouraged to include details of your own personal experiences, if applicable.
View Letter Template
My name is [NAME]. I am sending this email to elicit your support. Our goal is for everyone in wheelchairs to have unfettered access to Canadian airlines, while remaining in their wheelchairs.
People confined to wheelchairs require airplane access while still seated in their own, customized, wheelchairs. For various reasons, many people cannot be moved out of their wheelchairs into airplane seats. For others still their wheelchairs regularly get broken in airplane cargo holds. We know their wheelchairs are paramount to their quality of life, and a broken wheelchair means “no legs” for them.
Most of the public is not aware of this serious problem because they are not affected by it. However, for many of the 288,800 wheelchair bound people in Canada, air travel is not viable. This problem adds more debilitation to their already difficult situation.
I understand there is currently a Canadian Transportation Agency and Transport Canada feasibility study underway, to establish how to provide wheelchair access on Canadian airlines. The success of such a project would be of great benefit to Canadians and internationally bound users of wheelchairs.
If I may ask, what is the current estimated time for completion for the wheelchair access project? Is there anything we can do to support or help speed along the Canadian Transport Agency and Transport Canada in this endeavour?
We look forward to when all wheelchair users get the opportunity to fly on airplanes in the dignity of their own wheelchairs.
Sincerely,
[INSERT NAME]
Want to make change for Canadians living with Duchenne?
References
1 Smith EM, Giesbrecht EM, Mortenson WB, Miller WC. Prevalence of Wheelchair and Scooter Use Among Community-Dwelling Canadians. Phys Ther. 2016 Aug;96(8):1135-42.
2 McDonald J, Dhanraj T, Cowley J. Air Canada promised to become more accessible. But hidden cameras show it’s still falling short. CBC. Nov 1 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/air-canada-promises-accessible-transit-hidden-camera-1.7369146 Accessed November 4, 2024.
3 Pfeiffer JL, Bower W, Rumrill P. Investigating the challenges of air travel in the United States: a qualitative study of the lived experiences of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury or disorder. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2024 Apr 20;10(1):25.