The authorities are investigating whether Peach Aviation contravened the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, which took effect in the beginning of the month, for not allowing a disabled Taiwanese passenger to board a return flight to Taiwan, because the battery of her electric wheelchair could not be visually inspected from the outside, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said last week.
The incident occurred on the fifth of this month, when Lin Chun-chieh (林君潔), 43, was boarding a flight at Okinawa Prefecture’s Naha Airport, a report by the Mainichi Shimbun said on Saturday.
Lin, who has osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, uses an electric wheelchair. She departed for Japan on April 1 on a different airline, in the same wheelchair, and was scheduled to return to Taiwan on April 5 on a Peach Aviation flight.
Photo: Screen grab from Lin’s Facebook page
Batteries and other items that could be a fire risk might be classified as dangerous items and prohibited from transport under the Japanese Aviation Law, the ministry said, adding that airlines can stipulate conditions under which such items could be delivered.
Disabled passengers are required to present detailed information on the batteries used in their electric wheelchairs if the batteries cannot be visually inspected, Peach Aviation says on its Web site. The battery in Lin’s electric wheelchair is covered by a lid, which cannot be opened without tools. As such, Lin sent the battery information to the airline via an e-mail prior to travel.
While waiting to board, Lin was informed by the airline’s ground crew that she was not allowed to board the flight, because they could not examine the battery in her wheelchair. The airline maintained its decision even after Lin told them that she had e-mailed them the battery information and presented a printout of it. She returned to Taiwan on a different flight the next day.
“I have been to many countries and have flown with many airlines. This was the first time that I was denied boarding because of the battery in my wheelchair,” she was quoted as saying by the Mainichi Shimbun. “The wheelchair is my legs. I was shocked by the way the incident was handled.”
Lin consulted the Japan National Assembly of Disabled Peoples’ International, which petitioned for an investigation to the transportation ministry.
“Many electric wheelchair batteries are covered by lids and cannot be visually inspected. Such a requirement is impractical,” the organization’s secretary-general Satoshi Sato said.
However, Peach Aviation said that for safety purposes, it must verify battery information through documents and visual inspections, adding that its verification form has a note stating that wheelchairs with batteries that cannot be examined without tools would be refused transport.
“We had no intention of discriminating against the passenger, and we feel deeply sorry if she felt discriminated against,” the airline said.
It is finding ways to make sure that information on its Web site would be clearer and easier to understand, the airline added.
The act stipulates that private business operators should provide reasonable care to the disabled, and they should have constructive dialogue with the disabled for better solutions to problems.
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