I shouldn't have to fight for dignity every time I get on a plane

Hard work. That’s how I feel when I think about flying. Calculating what might go wrong, and how much I need to suck up to get through it. 

I write this not as an abstract policy exercise but as a woman with a spinal cord injury who uses a wheelchair. The very nature of my career in international law has meant the need to travel frequently for work. For decades I’ve navigated systems never built with disability in mind. Nowhere is that more obvious than in aviation. Every step of a journey – from check in to disembarking – contains barriers, microaggressions. Moments when my dignity becomes negotiable. 

I’m used to people not speaking to me, not looking at me – the constant, quiet reminders that I’m irrelevant, an inconvenience. Before I even reach the gate, I’m preparing for contingencies. 

Will my wheelchair come up from the hold intact and, if not, will it be repairable?

Read more on the original article : https://humanrights.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/opinion-pieces/disability-rights/i-shouldnt-have-to-fight-for-dignity-every-time-i-get-on-a-plane