This newsletter has a lot: a broken wheelchair, a three-day separation from my family, and an unexpected few days in Nuremberg, Germany. But let me preface that story with some thoughts on what accessibility is and why it's important.
My most cherished freedom, apart from the freedom of speech, is self-determination or, using another word, independence. Within the disability community, independence takes many forms and presents itself in different ways, but I have long held that independence is at the very core of accessibility. For a business, product or service to be truly accessible, it must promote the independence of its users to the maximum extent possible.
As self-sufficient wheelchair users, Robert and I should be able to enter buildings, board planes, trains and automobiles, and travel on sidewalks the same way nondisabled people do — independently and without the assistance or intervention of another person. The world is not truly accessible, though, and we often require the help of others to do things that we could otherwise do on our own. When we are forced to rely on others for basic access, we feel frustrated, and perhaps even angry when the systems to provide access are beset with additional rules and restrictions — barriers that alienate and marginalize us on account of the fact that we are wheelchair users.
With that in mind, let's get to the story!
KLM used to be my favorite European airline, but it's made my "No Fly" list
We might have stolen a line from children's book author Judith Viorst and titled this newsletter the "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," but there is always good even amidst the chaos of a tough travel day.
We started the morning in London, England. The weather was beautiful and we had enjoyed our time in the British capital, which made leaving bittersweet.
There was a long travel day ahead of us: a connecting flight itinerary to Nuremberg, Germany via Amsterdam, Netherlands, followed by an hour-long train ride to the City of Weiden, Germany, where Stevie's sister calls home. We had planned to spend a few days in Weiden before traveling to Austria.
Check-in at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 was a breeze (by European standards), and we enjoyed breakfast in the Plaza Premium lounge before our flight with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. We were the first to board the aircraft and departed on time.
Weeks prior to the flight, I had gone through the onerous process of requesting disability assistance and clearing our wheelchairs for flight with KLM. I stipulated that our wheelchairs should be returned to the aircraft door in Amsterdam and reminded the captain on the day of travel.
