Survey Suggests Accessibility of Air Travel Generally Good
CORVALLIS, Ore. th About 80 percent of people with disabilities find air travel to be reasonably accessible and comfortable, a new survey concludes, with their leading concerns being ground transportation and baggage claim at the final destination and the need for adequate assistive equipment.
(Media-Newswire.com) - CORVALLIS, Ore. – About 80 percent of people with disabilities find air travel to be reasonably accessible and comfortable, a new survey concludes, with their leading concerns being ground transportation and baggage claim at the final destination and the need for adequate assistive equipment.
But more than 30 percent of respondents who had traveled by air feel they “lose self respect” when doing so because of the way they were treated on the plane. Respondents strongly preferred mechanical assistance to being lifted into seats by other people.
The findings are the result of a survey of 2,756 respondents by the National Center for Accessible Transportation http://ncat.oregonstate.edu/. in the Oregon State University College of Engineering. All of the participants had multiple sclerosis, which in different patients can cause a diverse range of physical, cognitive, vision or hearing disabilities.
“There are still areas we can improve upon, but in general the people we surveyed felt contented with air travel, and believed that their needs were being reasonably accommodated,” said Katharine Hunter-Zaworski, http://cce.oregonstate.edu/people/faculty/hunter-zaworski.html director of the National Center of Accessible Transportation.
Some complaints, in fact, are similar to those that might apply to any traveler – such as struggling through long lines of airport security, poorly marked signage to load and unload, and getting to the gate on time. They also weren’t too enthused about the width or comfort of airline seats.
Among the conclusions of the study: • More than half of the respondents had not traveled by air in the past five years, mostly because they had no need to or it was too expensive. Only about 15 percent said it was too uncomfortable or accommodations were inadequate. • About 85 percent of respondents said they had a good experience traveling by plane at some point in the past. • Automobiles were the main transport for about 80 percent of the people who said they never used any form of public transportation. • Some of the leading complaints about assistive personnel were that they were not aware of disability characteristics, did not ask questions about what was needed, did not wait for instructions, and were not adequately concerned with the person’s dignity. • Some cultural and training inadequacies were also pointed out – the ability to speak English was considered very important, as was concern about safety, and skill in providing safe assistance.
This study was funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. The survey was coordinated by Virginia Lesser, director of the Survey Research Center at OSU.
About the OSU College of Engineering: The OSU College of Engineering is among the nation¹s largest and most productive engineering programs. In the past six years, the College has more than doubled its research expenditures to $27.5 million by emphasizing highly collaborative research that solves global problems, spins out new companies, and produces opportunity for students through hands-on learning.
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