We come across a lot of incidents time and again, where public places do not have proper provisions for the specially-abled. The lack of these basic facilities make the places around us less inclusive, and it’s almost shocking when it happens in places which are otherwise equipped with a proper infrastructure.
Another such incident took place, when an artist, Sarita Dwivedi was denied boarding with her wheelchair at the Bangalore airport.
She shared her experience on Twitter, adding that the she was supposed to fly with Alliance Air, when the staff didn’t let her travel with the Motorized Wheelchair. The artist also mentioned that the staff was inconsiderate, and she was asked to cancel her ticket and book another flight. This is not only shocking, but also extremely insensitive.
Worst day of my life. It was 4 kinds of harassment in 1 day, mental, emotional, physical and financial.
-Sarita Dwivedi
Worst day of my life .It was 4 kind of harassment in 1 day,Mentally, emotionally ,physically and financially .No refund till now also the staff was harsh,inconsiderate and did not value my time or money .@JM_Scindia @allianceair #RPWD Act @socialpwds @DGCAIndia @timesofindia pic.twitter.com/FZSDck0ulU
— Sarita Dwivedi (@SARITADWIVEDI7) June 20, 2022
Understandably, it was a terrible experience, which also resulted in the waste of her time and money. Sarita Dwivedi also mentioned that the airline hasn’t initiated the refund yet. She also asked the staff about how they will manage to get the wheelchair to her from the Bangalore airport, and they didn’t have a provision for the same.
@JM_Scindia Dear Sir, Need help regarding @allianceair behaviour. I am Divyang travel with my Motorized Wheelchair but stuck at Bangalore airport since @allianceair not allowing me to board in my flight alongwith my wheelchair. Missed my flight. #RPWD Act 2016 pic.twitter.com/GGvTJqZXMT
— Sarita Dwivedi (@SARITADWIVEDI7) June 18, 2022
It is almost a shame that airports and airlines are still inaccessible, despite all this growth in infrastructure. We are a lot behind when it comes to sensitivity, and it’s time that we catch up.