·    After landing, Glenda instructed the ground crew that Ken should not be moved until she returned with the wheelchair.  She exited the plane to reconnect the battery and bring the chair back to Ken’s seat.  Ken has a feeding tube, a diaphragm pacemaker and his chair is customized for his needs.  The ground crew assured all of them Ken would be safe.

·    Before Glenda could return, she looked into the window of the aircraft and noticed several people standing around Ken.  In that brief period of time, despite instructions from the manager not to move Ken, despite 16 year old daughter Tabitha’s tears, despite Ken’s difficulty breathing, the pilot insisted that they ‘get this man off HIS plane.”

·    Glenda heard the commotion and quickly ran back into the plane.  Ken was crying hysterically.  He had been moved into an aisle wheelchair and was forced to sit there for 30 minutes while Glenda got the wheelchair operational again, something that would not have been necessary had the battery not been disconnected in the first place.

For Ken, who has no muscle capacity and cannot physically hold himself in a chair, this was an unnecessary and dangerous place for him to be.  He slid from the seat, struggled to breathe, and literally feared for his life.   The pilot had left the premises before Ken was safe in his wheelchair.

Is it possible that the pilot was more concerned about getting home for dinner than the safety of his passengers? He insisted the battery be disconnected on some conjured up premise of safety. Where was that sense of concern when he chose to move a severely disabled man to save himself 20 minutes?

Ken is a brilliant man.  He has served his country in the Army, he was a firefighter and a teacher before his diagnosis.  No one deserves this type of disrespect and poor treatment from anyone, and Ken is no exception.  To be treated this way is not only humiliating, it is frightening and dangerous.  The pilot in this circumstance put Ken’s life in danger.  It may not have been the first time a life was jeopardized, and unfortunately it will probably not be the last either.  The pilot and the airline need to take responsibility for their actions.  Luckily Ken was alright, but who knows what will happen the next time this pilot decides he is in a hurry to get home.

US Airways responded to Glenda’s complaint by offering a brief apology and five $100 vouchers towards future travel.

When ALS Film Fund contacted the airline, we were informed of two things that make this situation even more upsetting.

1.  US Airways policy is to NOT disconnect gel (dry cell) batteries on wheelchairs.

2.  The pilot could have left Ken and his family in the care of the ground crew or gate agents in the first place and did not need to stay with the aircraft.

Pilots have an obligation to protect the lives of their passengers.   Caution with respect to batteries on airplanes is important. and understandable.  The FAA confirms that gel batteries are dry cell and completely safe.  Clearly this is a case where this pilot misused his power to be dictatorial and controlling in a situation that demanded compassion and understanding.

What can you do?  Speak up when you see injustice like what is described here.  Educate your friends, co-workers, children, relatives.  Teach them to be compassionate and involved.  Do what you can to create greater awareness for the needs of all persons with disabilities and in particular those with ALS.  Together we can make a difference.