A woman with a disability from Toronto says Air Canada severely damaged her electric wheelchair on a flight to Israel, preventing her from attending an accessibility conference.
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Maayan Ziv, however, took several measures to ensure that his device remained intact during the flight. She arrived at the airport early and even wrapped her chair in bubble wrap.
Disabled people are not allowed to board a plane with a personal electronic mobility device, so the Torontonian had to register her wheelchair. However, once she arrived in Tel Aviv, she found her wheelchair in a sorry state.
“It was a complete surprise and shock and, unfortunately, extremely disturbing. I arrived and my wheelchair was totally damaged. It looked like it had been bent in half, and it’s very strong metal, so it fell or something fell on it,” Maayan Ziv told Global News.
Worth $30,000, the machine weighs between 300 and 400 lbs, estimates the young woman, who does not think she can replace all the broken parts.
“He barely moves […]but the most shocking and obvious thing that happened was that the whole seat itself was mutilated,” she mentioned.
Although this is not the first time his chair has been damaged in a robbery, Maayan Ziv believes this time to be the worst. The one who was to give a speech at a conference on accessibility was therefore forced to stay in her hotel room.
“I am stuck. Everything I planned to do, all the conference events [ne me sont plus accessibles]. I can’t leave this room. I’m sitting in an airport wheelchair that’s made for someone much bigger than me,” she said, adding that Canada should keep track of the number of mobility devices that are broken each month. , something the United States has started doing recently.
In June 2022, US airlines “abused” no less than 1,145 wheelchairs, according to the most recent report from the US Department of Transportation.
When she contacted Air Canada to complain about the damage to her car, the company offered her a $300 electronic coupon. This offer upset Maayan Ziv. “It’s more than an inconvenience, it’s my life. It is my mobility, my health and my independence,” she added.
Contacted by Global, Air Canada said it remains in contact with Mr.me Ziv in order to resolve the situation.