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| Being classified as a terrorist threat makes me feel excluded | Being classified as a terrorist threat makes me feel excluded |
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| For more than 10 years, I have worked for an organisation that campaigns for people with disabilities to achieve equal participation in society. Working in Africa, central Asia and currently in Pakistan, I have seen many examples of exclusion and poverty and I realise that I am lucky. I had an accident years ago and use a wheelchair and an assistance dog. I don’t feel excluded a lot, when I do it is usually because people lack knowledge or somehow my disability scares them. | For more than 10 years, I have worked for an organisation that campaigns for people with disabilities to achieve equal participation in society. Working in Africa, central Asia and currently in Pakistan, I have seen many examples of exclusion and poverty and I realise that I am lucky. I had an accident years ago and use a wheelchair and an assistance dog. I don’t feel excluded a lot, when I do it is usually because people lack knowledge or somehow my disability scares them. |
| Even when I am upset and angry I need to stay calm, smile, and most importantly try not to show how much it hurts | Even when I am upset and angry I need to stay calm, smile, and most importantly try not to show how much it hurts |
| But there is one situation that makes me feel really disabled and excluded – when I have to fly. And unfortunately I need to travel a lot for work.Some kind of incident takes place on more than 70% of the flights that I take. Sometimes it has more impact emotionally, and other times financially and practically. | But there is one situation that makes me feel really disabled and excluded – when I have to fly. And unfortunately I need to travel a lot for work.Some kind of incident takes place on more than 70% of the flights that I take. Sometimes it has more impact emotionally, and other times financially and practically. |
| In more than half of my flights my wheelchair gets damaged, and most of the time I don’t get the repair costs reimbursed. Or I arrive to be told that someone forgot the wheelchair at departure, and the next flight will only arrive a week later, and apparently, it is not the airline’s responsibility that I cannot be mobile without my wheelchair. | In more than half of my flights my wheelchair gets damaged, and most of the time I don’t get the repair costs reimbursed. Or I arrive to be told that someone forgot the wheelchair at departure, and the next flight will only arrive a week later, and apparently, it is not the airline’s responsibility that I cannot be mobile without my wheelchair. |
| Related: Live Q&A: How can we build momentum on global disability rights? | Related: Live Q&A: How can we build momentum on global disability rights? |
| Sometimes you listen to people’s comments and find it funny. There was the time that I was blamed for my broken wheelchair, which I should apparently have packed and checked in as luggage; I was told that I should have walked and waited at the gate for help. Or the times during the emergency drill that I am told in case of emergency I need to stay in my seat and not try to leave the plane as I will endanger other passengers’ lives. Maybe it is a rule, but it does feel like being told that my life is less valuable. | Sometimes you listen to people’s comments and find it funny. There was the time that I was blamed for my broken wheelchair, which I should apparently have packed and checked in as luggage; I was told that I should have walked and waited at the gate for help. Or the times during the emergency drill that I am told in case of emergency I need to stay in my seat and not try to leave the plane as I will endanger other passengers’ lives. Maybe it is a rule, but it does feel like being told that my life is less valuable. |
| Sometimes I get emotional. Especially after long overnight flights, when the person at the support desk tells you that they don’t have enough wheelchairs to support the passengers who require assistance and as I am the youngest I can walk. And then they say that if I don’t want to walk I will miss my plane, they can’t wait for me because that is unfair for the other passengers. | Sometimes I get emotional. Especially after long overnight flights, when the person at the support desk tells you that they don’t have enough wheelchairs to support the passengers who require assistance and as I am the youngest I can walk. And then they say that if I don’t want to walk I will miss my plane, they can’t wait for me because that is unfair for the other passengers. |
| Once I was blamed for my broken wheelchair, which I should apparently have packed and checked in as luggage | Once I was blamed for my broken wheelchair, which I should apparently have packed and checked in as luggage |
| Or the time that I arrived in a European airport and was told that I wasn’t allowed to use an airport wheelchair as they had a rule that persons with guide dogs had to walk. When I said I couldn’t walk that distance, and that I had been promised a wheelchair as the time between flights was short, the woman behind the desk told me she was just following rules. Finally, after a lot of discussion and with the help of somebody who had seen that I really do use a wheelchair, she dropped me near the gate where I had to wait without a wheelchair, which means I couldn’t go to the toilet, get water or food. | Or the time that I arrived in a European airport and was told that I wasn’t allowed to use an airport wheelchair as they had a rule that persons with guide dogs had to walk. When I said I couldn’t walk that distance, and that I had been promised a wheelchair as the time between flights was short, the woman behind the desk told me she was just following rules. Finally, after a lot of discussion and with the help of somebody who had seen that I really do use a wheelchair, she dropped me near the gate where I had to wait without a wheelchair, which means I couldn’t go to the toilet, get water or food. |
| Or when people shout at me and refuse to sit next to me, and loudly talk about me to flight attendants and all the other passengers. I always wonder if people realise what they are saying. I didn’t chose to have a disability. | Or when people shout at me and refuse to sit next to me, and loudly talk about me to flight attendants and all the other passengers. I always wonder if people realise what they are saying. I didn’t chose to have a disability. |
| When I started travelling with an assistance dog, it became even more difficult. My assistance dog is the reason I can do my work and travel. I am currently travelling with my second dog Wizzard; my retired dog Luca has flown more than 200 times. Under International Air Transport Association (IATA) and EU regulations assistance dogs (sometimes they only mention guide dogs for the blind) are allowed to travel in cabin. However, rules are open for interpretation, and many airlines are either not aware of the rules, don’t want to follow them or interpret them as they wish. I have been refused boarding on several flights after airline staff told me that they have noticed that I am not blind and therefore I can’t take my assistance dog on the plane. | When I started travelling with an assistance dog, it became even more difficult. My assistance dog is the reason I can do my work and travel. I am currently travelling with my second dog Wizzard; my retired dog Luca has flown more than 200 times. Under International Air Transport Association (IATA) and EU regulations assistance dogs (sometimes they only mention guide dogs for the blind) are allowed to travel in cabin. However, rules are open for interpretation, and many airlines are either not aware of the rules, don’t want to follow them or interpret them as they wish. I have been refused boarding on several flights after airline staff told me that they have noticed that I am not blind and therefore I can’t take my assistance dog on the plane. |
| Sometimes during the emergency drill I am told not to try to leave the plane, as I will endanger other passengers' lives | Sometimes during the emergency drill I am told not to try to leave the plane, as I will endanger other passengers' lives |
| In fact, if the plane is small, IATA security rules allow airlines to refuse me entrance just because I am disabled. And this directly impacts my work, because this often happens in countries where small planes are the only practical way to travel. | In fact, if the plane is small, IATA security rules allow airlines to refuse me entrance just because I am disabled. And this directly impacts my work, because this often happens in countries where small planes are the only practical way to travel. |
| I have had two really unpleasant experiences. The first time I was stuck for more than a week in the Gambia when the pilot spotted me and Luca, my black labrador boarding the flight back to Sierra Leone. The pilot, for some reason, decided the dog was not going to get on the plane, and armed police were called to escort me off. It was only after an intervention from my embassy that I was able to board a flight, via Europe, back to Sierra Leone. | I have had two really unpleasant experiences. The first time I was stuck for more than a week in the Gambia when the pilot spotted me and Luca, my black labrador boarding the flight back to Sierra Leone. The pilot, for some reason, decided the dog was not going to get on the plane, and armed police were called to escort me off. It was only after an intervention from my embassy that I was able to board a flight, via Europe, back to Sierra Leone. |
| And four years ago a pilot used terrorism regulations to remove me from a full plane. All my paperwork was in order, this was a connecting flight, there had been no problems on my first flight and I used to fly regularly with this airline. But on this flight I was escorted from the back of a full plane to the exit in the front by armed police. Both my assistance dog and my passport were taken and we were put in a room for more than an hour and told that we were not allowed to leave. As I still had my phone, I called my employer and family, who put me in touch with the embassy. The explanation eventually offered by the airline was that they had made a mistake because of a change of shifts. I was informed that I would not be arrested and put on the next flight. No apology or further explanation was ever given, and legally there was nothing I could do. | And four years ago a pilot used terrorism regulations to remove me from a full plane. All my paperwork was in order, this was a connecting flight, there had been no problems on my first flight and I used to fly regularly with this airline. But on this flight I was escorted from the back of a full plane to the exit in the front by armed police. Both my assistance dog and my passport were taken and we were put in a room for more than an hour and told that we were not allowed to leave. As I still had my phone, I called my employer and family, who put me in touch with the embassy. The explanation eventually offered by the airline was that they had made a mistake because of a change of shifts. I was informed that I would not be arrested and put on the next flight. No apology or further explanation was ever given, and legally there was nothing I could do. |
| Luckily, 30% of my flights are ok; I have identified airlines (Brussels Airlines, Air Namibia, Somon Air and Turkish Airlines) that allow us to travel, so at least I can travel for my work. I meet great pilots and airline staff who really are helpful and ensure I get support at airports. It is not all bad, although I have learned to never believe that I am really going to be flying until I am actually in the air. | Luckily, 30% of my flights are ok; I have identified airlines (Brussels Airlines, Air Namibia, Somon Air and Turkish Airlines) that allow us to travel, so at least I can travel for my work. I meet great pilots and airline staff who really are helpful and ensure I get support at airports. It is not all bad, although I have learned to never believe that I am really going to be flying until I am actually in the air. |
| What bothers me the most is the way it makes me feel and how it also impacts on my work. Somehow people feel that I am the one creating the problems, because I need to travel with my wheelchair and assistance dog. I find that you can’t get angry with people when they refuse you. It makes it harder to communicate, so even though I am upset and angry I need to stay calm, smile, try not to take the things people say too personally and most importantly try not to show how much it hurts. I don’t like to be made feel disabled. | What bothers me the most is the way it makes me feel and how it also impacts on my work. Somehow people feel that I am the one creating the problems, because I need to travel with my wheelchair and assistance dog. I find that you can’t get angry with people when they refuse you. It makes it harder to communicate, so even though I am upset and angry I need to stay calm, smile, try not to take the things people say too personally and most importantly try not to show how much it hurts. I don’t like to be made feel disabled. |
| Related: The moment I felt excluded because of my disability – share your stories | |
| Part of my job is to support persons with disabilities to become empowered and included. But am I the right person to do that, when I have accepted that it is normal to be treated in a way that makes me upset, unhappy and feel excluded? | Part of my job is to support persons with disabilities to become empowered and included. But am I the right person to do that, when I have accepted that it is normal to be treated in a way that makes me upset, unhappy and feel excluded? |
| Sandra Emons is technical coordinator for Handicap International Pakistan. | Sandra Emons is technical coordinator for Handicap International Pakistan. |
| This week we’re focusing on the issue of disability rights around the world. Please get in touch with your experiences, comments and stories; email us at globaldevpros@theguardian.com, with disability rights in the subject line, or add your experiences here. | |
| Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. Join the conversation with the hashtag #DisabilityRights | Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. Join the conversation with the hashtag #DisabilityRights |