This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
On August 27, 2019, a Kenyan man was denied travel to the United States by Ethiopian Airlines due to his wheelchair, sparking outrage and highlighting the need for greater accessibility in air travel.
Author and Disability Rights Campaigner Harun M. Hassan took to Twitter to share his disturbing experience, claiming that the airport staff treated him insensitively and denied him assistance. He tweeted, “They left me alone & stranded with no options.”
According to Harun, the lady who was supposed to check his ticket details did not even award him the courtesy of doing so but instead chose to be dismissive and rude. This was the first time he had been discriminated by an airline over his disability.
The decision by Ethiopian Airlines staff to deny Harun access to travel goes against the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel. The Department of Transportation has a rule defining the rights of passengers and the obligations of airlines under this law.
Just recently, nominated MP David Ole Sankok, chair of the Kenya Disability Parliamentary Association, highlighted the accessibility challenges faced by approximately 6.5 million Kenyans living with disability.
