The following is the forward by our President, Yannis Vardakastanis, to our upcoming Human Rights Report ‘Rights delayed: Air travel for passengers with disabilities’. The report will be launched in November:
‘The principle of Freedom of movement has been one of the greatest milestones of the European Union (EU).
Unfortunately, not everyone can study, work, travel or live in another EU country. The lack of accessibility, especially in transport, is a big barrier to the freedom of movement of 100 million people with disabilities in Europe.
Transport is not a luxury we can just live without; it is a basic service that makes us an active member of society and determines our access to the most basic rights, including education and employment.
With the passenger rights framework, the EU has taken important steps to guarantee our right to transport. However, much more can be done, especially in air transport.
Despite the existence of EU legislation, we are still discriminated by inaccessible planes and airports, unclear safety rules, lack of recognition of our assistance dogs, limited compensation for mishandled wheelchairs or inadequate assistance.
We hope that this Human Rights Reports provides evidence to improve existing rules and, more importantly, raises awareness on the many barriers that continue to exclude us.
The lack of accessible transport systems obliges us to notify in advance each time we want to travel, to liaise at length with transport companies to travel with our mobility equipment and assistance dogs, to plan carefully each step of the itinerary and to incur higher costs.
Most passengers have the certainty that, unless something exceptional occurs, they will complete their journey without any problem. Those with disabilities know that completing the journey without any problem can be exceptional.
We hope that this edition of the Human Rights Report paves the way for a more inclusive and accessible travel experience. As our motto says, nothing about us without us, the disability movement stands ready to support public authorities, airports and airlines in this process.