Taking care of elderly and disabled - the air transport perspective

Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

DEFINITION: The United Nations definition of the term "disabled person" is based upon the distinction made by the World Health Organization (WHO) between the concepts of "impairment", "disability" and "handicap" which emphasizes that handicaps are the disadvantages that may result from either an impairment or a disability.

WHO defines impairment as "a permanent or transitory psychological, physiological or anatomical loss or abnormality of structure or function" and .disability as " any restriction or prevention of the performance of an activity, resulting from an impairment, in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

A disabled passenger is defined as one whose physical condition or mental disorder (including mental illness) requires airlines to give him individual attention (on enplaning and deplaning, during flight, in an emergency evacuation and during ground handling at airports) which is not normally extended to other passengers.

This definition, whilst referring to medically ill or temporarily disabled persons, also includes permanently handicapped persons who may not need medical clearance for travel by air but nevertheless would need special care when travelling by air. In this sense it may even refer to any person who is incapacitated or at a disadvantage such as a pregnant woman or obese person.

It is now clear that the special handling that the disabled passenger receives should not necessarily be confined to facilitation at the airport and in the aircraft but should extend to all of air transport from the time the seat reservation is made to the time the passenger steps out of the airport on arrival.

For this facilitation process to take effect, a sustained effort to attend to the needs of the disabled air passenger should be taken by every person involved in the carriage of elderly and disabled persons by air.

Disabled persons are now recognised as agents of their own destiny and not objects of care and are considered as being equally involved in the decision making process with regard to their general welfare.

The welfare of the disabled air passenger should therefore be necessarily associated with the recognition and dignity that has now been accorded to him.

There is no inter-governmental data collection system where countries submit national disability statistics for international use. The United Nations Secretariat has however, wherever possible, developed a database of national disability statistics by initiating a world-wide review of published reports on the subject as well as through communications with national statistical officers in Member States.

According to available statistics, it would appear that about 10% of the world population is disabled, 6% of which have disabilities of a sufficient nature that makes travel difficult. Approximately 10% of the disabled population is over the age of 60 years and it is envisaged that this percentage would grow with the progressive ageing of the world population.

Work of the United Nations

In 1975, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Disabled Persons (Resolution 3447 XXX) which inter alia recognized the inherent right of disabled persons to respect for their dignity and self-reliance. Paragraph 8 of the Declaration provides that disabled persons are entitled to have their special needs taken into consideration at all stages of economic and social planning.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) first adopted measures to facilitate air travel by the elderly and disabled in 1968 when the Seventh Session of the Facilitation Division (FAL/7) adopted a Recommended Practice urging that assistance be rendered to invalid passengers in making a direct transfer from one aircraft to another.

ICAO also has guidance material relating to building design principles, consideration of the particular needs of the sensory impaired, the use of disabled persons' own wheelchairs up to and from the aircraft and the coordination of training programmes for staff engaged in handling disabled passengers at airports.

Elderly and disabled persons may not be able to fly on the flight of their choice because the airline has a limit on the number of such persons which can be carried.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents airlines, has already regulated on these issues, providing that in general member airlines must carry elderly and disabled passengers but define certain circumstances when this carriage may be denied unless such passengers are accompanied by escorts who will be responsible for caring for them en route.

The judgement of the airline as to the ability of the passenger to care for himself is the deciding factor.

ICAO statistics reveal that legislation and current practices in some States reflect the use of such facilities as : installation of special communications devices at airline reservations offices; the application of rebated air fares up to 50% for deaf and blind persons; free baggage allowances granted to disabled passengers; special seating provision in the aircraft for non-ambulatory passengers; the provision of oxygen cylinders (in the aircraft), stretchers and carry-on-board standard wheelchairs free of charge; safe transport in the aircraft of wheelchair batteries; facilities for elderly and disabled passengers to remain in their wheelchairs right to the aircraft seat; adaptation of current and planned public transit systems to suit the needs of elderly and disabled passengers when travelling between the aircraft and the terminal and between the airport and their ground-destinations; specially designated vehicles for transport between the aircraft and the terminal; transmission of advance information to destinations of elderly and disabled passengers; and, car parks for disabled drivers.

Aircraft manufacturers also took an early initiative to provide easier access to air services for elderly and disabled passengers.

Some recommendations

Clear communication between the reservations agent and the passenger is most important for the elderly and the disabled passenger who may have special needs. Accordingly, it is necessary that elderly and disabled passengers are given improved telephone access to the airline reservations system or the ticket agent as the case may be, together with "teletype" facilities where necessary.

The deployment of specially trained staff who are sensitive to the distinct travel requirements of elderly and disabled persons is also a necessity. These personnel should also be able to advise on, and where possible, assist the passenger with such matters as the renewal of his passport, medical examination and vaccination where required, and the obtaining of foreign currency. Since certain elderly and disabled passengers are required by some airlines to travel with an escort, serious consideration must be given to the free carriage by air of an escort where the elderly and disabled passenger is required to travel with one.

Where the carriage of large groups of elderly and disabled passengers is involved (such as in charter flights), the free carriage of escorts may be considered in proportion (such as free carriage of one in every five passengers). In instances where elderly and disabled passengers do not require escorts, consideration must be given to the application of special tariffs in respect of their travel by air.

There should also be a reduction or elimination of excess baggage charges for the carriage of special apparatus or appliances required by the elderly and the disabled passenger. The reduction in tariffs should also apply to obese persons who would require more than one standard-size seat in the aircraft.

Guidelines need to be formulated in regard to the acceptance by the airline of elderly and disabled passengers who claim that they are self-reliant and do not therefore need an escort for the duration of their air travel. Guidelines are also required for the determination of the maximum safe number of non-ambulatory persons that should be accommodated on each aircraft type.

Wheelchair passengers should be able to remain in their wheelchairs right to the aircraft seat. If this is not possible, then there must be direct access via either aerobridge or step lift which will facilitate easy and independent access.

In instances where wheelchairs on board are powered with wet-cell batteries, the safe transport of these wet-cell batteries must be ensured by the airlines concerned. Priority boarding for the elderly and disabled together with professional assistance where needed are also two facilities that require to be provided.

A disabled person, who requires more than one seat due to his or her disability should, on the production of a medical certificate from a duly licensed medical practitioner who is aware of the disability of the passenger, be permitted to occupy the number of seats required.

Special publications for the disabled, such as pre-flight Braille safety instructions must be made available to the sight-impaired. Certain types of handicapped passengers and elderly passengers and their escorts should be individually briefed on emergency procedures and the layout of the cabin.

Airline staff training should be geared to familiarizing elderly and disabled passengers of their environment and possible hazards within the cabin, assisting them at all times and the competent using of the facilities that are referred to in this paper.

Special medical services such as the provision of oxygen cylinders should be made available in flight, free of charge. There should also be installed, movable aisle arm-rests which permit easy transfer from wheelchair to seat.

There should also be priority cabin storage space to store wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility-aids used by the elderly and the disabled passenger on board. Such mobility aids should be stored as far as possible, close to where the passenger is seated so that the passenger would have easy access in a time of emergency.

Special care should be taken by the airline to seat escorts next to the passenger they are escorting and all toilets in the cabin must be easily accessible to the elderly and the disabled passenger. Seeing eye dogs must be permitted in the cabin and adequate space provided for them, provided they are medically certified for travel prior to boarding and properly muzzled. Also, disabled passengers must be seated in such a way so as to permit easy egress in the event of an emergency evacuation.

International responses to the status of the disabled passenger in air transport show a trend that seeks the support of all authorities concerned to provide more facilities for this category of passenger. It is indeed heartening to note that the United Nations, ICAO, and IATA have adopted positive measures to facilitate international air travel by elderly and disabled persons.

Aircraft manufacturers too have contributed positively towards the achievement of this goal. Much work however, has to be accomplished by all concerned if worldwide recognition is to be given to the disadvantages faced by elderly and disabled persons and action on an international basis is to be taken.

International air transport involves international commitment on the part of all concerned who provide it, without exception.

(The author has written this article in his personal capacity)

(The writer is Coordinator, Air Transport Programmes International Civil Aviation Organization, Canada.)