[kate]

A recent experience has bought an apparently quite common experience to my attention and I'm curious to know what others feel about it. Now I'm not adverse to the odd bit of manhandling and have even been known to enjoy it on occassion () but normally when I've requested it. Having my wheelchair grabbed without permission or warning is unacceptable in my opinion. On my way back from Spain the other day, customs at Malaga airport grabbed the bag off the back of my chair, thrust it onto my lap, then proceeded to grab my chair and attempted to push me through a gate for searching. I was incandescent with rage as you can imagine, and I let him know. I'm still angry just thinking about it. Spain (Malaga?) seems to be quite hot on access at present (EU money?) but they've really got it wrong in some pretty major aspects. Has anyone else had a similar experience in Spain?

[Apparelyzed]

To be honest, Karen treats me like a bag of spuds, but I do enjoy it!

I've found the spanish very good at lifting etc, it's the British and Americans I've found the worst.

But I guess everyones experiencie's will vary.

Simon

[E-DOG]

" MAN HANDLING "
I would ask Ches, she's the expert.
E

This post has been edited by E-DOG: 03 August 2008 - 05:33 AM

[jass1]

Manhandling detention for no reason or integration that's at us airports its like a police state

[eujei]

being a quad manhandling is normal.. but i recently visit NYC and was very well treated. there and here in Portugal..

[Webwych]

I guess I've been lucky with Malaga airport (except that one time my wheelchair parts floated ominously past me on the luggage belt like something out of 'Jaws', but I digress...) as the airport staff have always been hot young guys (where DO they get those butt-glorifying trousers from? Damn ).

I don't have a one-track mind, honest!

Anyway, I found that from receiving their EU grants for accessibility to having really good facilities has taken a MUCH shorter time than it has in England (I saw the first wheelchair accessible bus in Benalmadena way before I saw one in my own village!). I find the Spanish to be very respectful and kind, even with the language barrier it was always clear to me what was going to happen in terms of transferrals from plane to bus etc. before any physical contact was made.

They really do need to sort the curbs out though - something a little less steep that the North Face of the Eiger would be great.

My best ever experience travelling as an adult has been the two times I flew alone with British Airways to Frankfurt. Top notch service.

[Unbreakable]

Last year, I flew Continental Airlines from Florida to Texas. I actually made it through security much faster than my AB family, and the airline staff was very helpful and courteous in assisting my transfer to an aisle wheelchair to actually board the plane with. Altogether, a good experience and much more enjoyable than sitting in a car for 12 hours.

[Emily C]

Can't manage a plane ride yet..might not be able to for other reasons...

However, the other night, I took my new Tilite to a light 'club' and decided to spin around the dance floor. Suddenly, I felt my w/c move w/o ME moving it! The couple next to me decided to move my chair 'cause they wanted to dance w/me..I GUESS!!!! My aid shouted:"HEY!!! STOP touching her wheelchair!!!" I was incredious. The woman came up to my Aid and said something (don't know what she said, it was apanish, and the music was too loud) and she wanted to take a picture!!! What am I, an amusement park???

[Hapahowlee]

Emily C, on Sep 14 2008, 05:50 PM, said:

Can't manage a plane ride yet..might not be able to for other reasons...

However, the other night, I took my new Tilite to a light 'club' and decided to spin around the dance floor. Suddenly, I felt my w/c move w/o ME moving it! The couple next to me decided to move my chair 'cause they wanted to dance w/me..I GUESS!!!! My aid shouted:"HEY!!! STOP touching her wheelchair!!!" I was incredious. The woman came up to my Aid and said something (don't know what she said, it was apanish, and the music was too loud) and she wanted to take a picture!!! What am I, an amusement park???

Good one Em! You know, I think you could've made a few bucks out of allowing them to get a picture with you.

[Kev-O]

I once killed a dumb ass for trying to push my chair without me knowing. you should have seen it. His brain was all over my new shoes......................... i loved those shoes to

[WilliamLX]

Not wheel chair man handling, but airport security related. I broke my back in December 2007, got home wearing a body cast. When I got out of that and had instead a removable resin cast I had my first shower. Guess what!, the shower went wrong and I ended up with 20% burns (1st to 3rd degree)! Well while still wearing the resin cast and in bandages for the burn injury I had to fly from Belfast to London. On the outward journey I had no problems, but on going for my return flight, the security people at Heathrow wanted me to remove my vast and bandages in case I was a terrorist! You can imagine how I reacted to that!

All this extra airport security was as a response to 11/9 etc, and yet for political correctness the airport security refuse to disciminate between people such as myself (extremely unlikely to be an islamist terrorist and those who could be). My only satisfaction was that once I had insisted a priavte room with chair etc for this 'strip' the airport security moron looked rather green when he seen my undressed burn injury!

[Travelling Blackbird]

kate, on Aug 2 2008, 09:06 PM, said:

On my way back from Spain the other day, customs at Malaga airport grabbed the bag off the back of my chair, thrust it onto my lap, then proceeded to grab my chair and attempted to push me through a gate for searching. I was incandescent with rage as you can imagine, and I let him know. ... Spain (Malaga?) seems to be quite hot on access at present (EU money?) but they've really got it wrong in some pretty major aspects. Has anyone else had a similar experience in Spain?

Spain has been doing a lot of access work, with most of the money coming from the EU, although it was preparation for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona that started the ball rolling, and that wouldn't have been EU money then.

Spanish, German and UK ground staff are, in my experience, the worst for just grabbing and pushing the chair without asking, going so far, as you experienced, to take your backpack off or even your overnight bag out of your lap. Pretty much every time I fly in or out of one of those countries, I have to react to someone doing that, even when I'm clearly flying with someone. My worst experience with it was at the door of the plane after landing in Stanstead: the assistance crew member grabbed the chair and started pushing before I'd got my feet in place, my foot blocked my left caster, and the chair tipped over.

However, I've seen the same issues in other places, including the dreaded Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and in the US in San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth.

The countries where its never happened to me are Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Denmark. They've always asked in all of those places. Ireland's hit-and-miss: younger staff members are bad at asking, older staff members are better.

There is a kind of a pattern to this, although it doesn't hold up 100%: the larger airports with the greater traffic are the ones where this happens more often, in my experience. The ground staff are just rushing to get everyone to their planes, and they forget that common courtesy only takes a moment.

Apparelyzed, on Aug 2 2008, 11:43 PM, said:

I've found the spanish very good at lifting etc, it's the British and Americans I've found the worst.

But I guess everyones experiencie's will vary.

Simon

True that. While I've never heard of anyone having a problem in Poland or the Czech Republic, I'm sure they have their moments there too.

Unbreakable, on Sep 12 2008, 08:52 PM, said:

Last year, I flew Continental Airlines from Florida to Texas. I actually made it through security much faster than my AB family, and the airline staff was very helpful and courteous in assisting my transfer to an aisle wheelchair to actually board the plane with. Altogether, a good experience and much more enjoyable than sitting in a car for 12 hours.

That's interesting: whenever I'm flying with someone else, they're given priority security clearance and boarding the same as me, even if there's a few of us. Did they not let any of your family go through with you?

[Unbreakable]

Quote

That's interesting: whenever I'm flying with someone else, they're given priority security clearance and boarding the same as me, even if there's a few of us. Did they not let any of your family go through with you?

Here in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida, the airport is very small. We got priority and they let us go through together, but my familly still had to remove their shoes, belt, etc. but I got to cruise right through with just a pat-down. At the Houston airport, which is much larger, I went into a seperate line for the disabled which was deserted. I was alone. I got patted down real quick, a TSA guy took off my shoes and put them back on for me and then that was it. My family had to stand in a huge line, have the carry-ons x-rayed, shoes, belt, etc. off. I waited for them on the other side to get done. Then we proceeded to the gate.

[Murray]

Took a flight to Anaheim (LA) for the 2008 Abilities Expo a few months back. Went well as far as personnel working with me and my w/c. But during the flight - about 3 hrs - I had to empty my leg bag. It was gonna pop! Altitude or just me? The transfer to the aisle chair was OK. But it wouldn't fit into the bathroom. So, the attendants graciously blocked the view and I dumped the bag with the ass-end of me and my hangin' out in the aisle. Kinda cute or something... left a little "note" for the airlines (Southwest). Haven't heard anything from 'em.

[qbounce]

No one handles my manhood better than ME me me!!!

So I just don't do it. Do not allow strangers to touch your manhood without asking. It's just plain WRONG!!-hehe