“Depraved: For Good” actress Marissa Bode is asking out an airline she says didn’t permit her to board after realizing she makes use of a wheelchair.
“So long as airways are sh–y, I’m going to proceed speaking about it,” she mentioned.
In a video posted to TikTok on Thursday (April 23), Bode, who’s paralyzed from the waist down and makes use of a wheelchair for mobility, defined that whereas attempting to board her connecting flight with Southern Airways, she was instructed by employees that she wouldn’t be capable of board as a result of she couldn’t stand.
“They proceeded to inform me all of the planes inside this airline have stairs to get on the airplane, Bode mentioned within the TikTok. “Wild. By no means heard of that earlier than.”
She added, “Why are we ready round for a disabled particular person to be current to even take into consideration altering issues and even accommodating issues?” she mentioned. “And even then, I do know they’re not going to do it.”
Bode famous within the video that “it’s at all times one thing” that goes unsuitable when she flies due to her wheelchair.
“I used to be like, disabled individuals are not an afterthought. Why, understanding that disabled folks exist, which y’all clearly typically neglect, do you select to not replace your planes? And I used to be like, ‘That is blatant segregation.’”
In keeping with Bode, the airline staffer on the gate mentioned that one other difficulty together with her boarding was the burden of her wheelchair, to which she responded that the chair was 35 kilos, which is underneath the bags weight restrict for many flights. Her supervisor, who booked the flight, additionally confirmed that the airline was conscious of her incapacity when the ticket was booked and warranted him that she can be accommodated accordingly.
Finally, the employees’s refusal to permit her on the flight pressured Bode to take an “costly” three-hour automobile experience to her vacation spot, she mentioned. Although the incident was blamed on a communication difficulty, she argued that there’s far more to the issue and that it’s “uncommon” when she will get by means of the airport with out points.
“It’s greater than dangerous miscommunication. It’s so far more than a mistake, an oopsie,” she mentioned. “These are our lives. That is our total existence you’re speaking about.”
