All Wheels Up Wants to Help Passengers with Disabilities ‘Fly Safe Today’ with a Special Giveaway

Flying as a wheelchair user is tough. It’s a lot of work to get on a plane, dehydrate before the flight to avoid needing to use the restroom, and even after all of that, there’s still a constant possibility that the wheelchair may be damaged during flight. Most wheelchair users prepare as much as possible to make the flying process smoother, but major aspects that are usually overlooked are emergency evacuations. 

Yes, your chances of actually having to evacuate because of an emergency are very slim, but it is a possibility. To be completely honest, I had never even thought about what I’d do in that scenario until fairly recently, but we ALL need to be prepared when flying. Airlines do not have a plan in place, so it’s up to us to ensure our own safety. 

I have never shared a press release here on Curb Free with Cory Lee, but that’s about to change. I recently received the press release below from All Wheels Up and everyone needs to read this. All Wheels Up is on a mission to help wheelchair users Fly Safe Today and if you will be flying within the next few months, the information below could come in extremely handy. Check out their press release below –

All Wheels Up (AWU) is giving away CARES Special Needs harnesses and ADAPTS slings to travelers with disabilities. The CARES harness is a supplemental double shoulder strap that can help position and accommodate people with disabilities in airplane seats. The ADAPTS sling is an evacuation device for emergency situations on a plane, and passengers with special needs can also use it for transfers. “Keys to a safe flight for a person with a disability are a protected transfer and a secure positioning,” says Michelle Erwin, founder of All Wheels Up. Both products are portable and lightweight, important considerations for travelers already laden with critical equipment and supplies for many activities of daily living. To apply for this program, travelers can send an email to [email protected] and include their name, email, home address, phone number, and age. They should tell AWU how and why this equipment will help them Fly Safe Today.

AWU firmly believes that passengers who use wheelchairs should be able to fly on airplanes from the safety of their own wheelchairs, just as they can in cars and vans, taxis, trains, subways, and busses. AWU’s mission is to work with the US Congress and agencies such as the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to fund research for an onboard wheelchair spot on airplanes.

As we work towards a wheelchair spot on planes, AWU wants passengers with disabilities to Fly Safe Today. Because passengers currently have to transfer from their personal wheelchairs to an aisle chair and then again to their plane seat, the ADAPTS sling can make this transition safer and more dignified for the traveler. It also provides a contactless process for passengers who need physical assistance in the transfer process. Furthermore, in case of airplane evacuation, the ADAPTS sling is literally the only safe way off the plane: the ADAPTS sling is an onboard evacuation tool to help passengers with mobility impairment (whose wheelchairs are below in the cargo hold) exit the plane. The CARES harness, worn in conjunction with the airplane seat lap belt, can help better secure and position some passengers in their plane seats. Until wheelchair spots are available on planes, people with reduced mobility deserve to Fly Safe Today.

All Wheels Up is the only organization in the world funding research and development for the future of accessible air travel. CARES is manufactured exclusively by AmSafe, the foremost manufacturer of aviation seatbelts and pilot restraints in the world. The ADAPTS sling was invented by a flight attendant when she realized that airlines don’t have an evacuation plan for passengers with limited mobility.

.

.