Barely Moving Through the Aisle Using Upper Body
Crew Member: "No Wheelchair, Must Wear Diaper Onboard"
Berry is struggling to move through the aisle using only her upper body after a flight attendant said, "People with disabilities must wear diapers on the plane." / Photo by Jenny Berry, Instagram capture
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan] A Spanish airline ignored a request for assistance from a passenger with lower body paralysis who wanted to use the restroom, saying, "Disabled passengers must wear diapers on board."
On the 21st (local time), the UK Metro reported on the humiliating experience of a passenger with lower body paralysis on a recent flight.
According to the report, the passenger was Jenny Berry, a British woman who became paralyzed in the lower body due to a neurological disorder caused by an accident in 2017. On the 21st, Berry posted on her social media (SNS) a post titled "Flying as a Disabled Person."
The video Berry shared on SNS showed her dragging her uncomfortable upper body along the aisle with great difficulty. Behind Berry, a flight attendant was pulling a beverage cart.
According to Berry's explanation, when she requested to go to the restroom, the flight attendants said, "There is no aisle wheelchair," and "Disabled passengers must wear diapers on board."
Berry said, "Life as a disabled person is sometimes humiliating and embarrassing, and this incident was no different," adding, "It was humiliating to be bluntly told to wear a diaper that I did not need." She criticized, "Their solution is to make disabled passengers urinate in their seats."
After Berry's story became known, many netizens shared the video on SNS and voiced criticism.
Berry had booked with the British airline TUI Airways but reportedly used the Spanish airline Albastar Airlines due to a flight change. The airline has not yet responded to media interview requests.
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