Take Action for Accessible Air Travel
Safe and accessible air travel is a basic civil right that should matter to everyone. But it can be difficult, and even dangerous, for people who use wheelchairs. When we surveyed passengers with disabilities, including Paralyzed Veterans of America members, many of them said that they avoid air travel, out of fear for their safety.
Get Familiar — Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights
As a passenger with a disability, you are legally entitled to a set of rights when you fly, as determined by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Click each image below to learn more about your full set of rights:
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Wheelchair Travel Resources
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Improving the Safety and Dignity of Air Travel
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new rule that will improve the training of workers who assist wheelchair users and solidify processes for addressing wheelchair damanage. Learn more about this important development:
This animated video describes the process, from rideshare pickup, to check in, to TSA, to boarding, to takeoff, for a wheelchair user to travel by air. Hint: it's more difficult than you think.
Disability rights advocates speak about their personal experiences as #WheelchairTravelers, and call for supporters to sign the petition for safer air travel. We need to tell lawmakers that inaccessible air travel is #JustPlaneWrong.
This New York Times article details the harrowing travel experience of PVA's past National President, Charles Brown (pictured).
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new rule that will eventually require larger single-aisle aircraft to have a lavatory large enough to contain a passenger with a disability, an assistant, and the aisle chair with the door closed. Learn more about this victory:
Resources for Airlines
These organizations can provide feedback and support for airlines that want to better serve passengers with disabilities and mobility issues.
Click an organization's name to learn more about what they do and how they can help.