For Paralympic athletes, traveling can pose one of the greatest obstacles to competition.

With a knowing grin, Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois asks, “How many wheelchairs have you had broken?” Matt Scott, a gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, takes a deep breath before responding with a weary, “Countless.” This moment from the recent short documentary Accessibility for All, released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) last week, encapsulates the reality faced by many elite athletes with disabilities: the excitement of competition mingled with the anxiety and vulnerability of travel.

Despite his accomplishments, Scott—like many others—constantly worries about the risk of his mobility being jeopardized due to insufficient accessibility in transportation. While the world revels in the athletic feats on display at the Paralympics in Paris, it's easy to forget the daily challenges disabled athletes encounter just to arrive at the event.

The overarching accessibility crisis

Scott’s experience sheds light on a much larger concern: the persistent and often ignored obstacles disabled individuals face in travel and transportation. For athletes, attending a global event like the Paralympics should be a simple process, yet for those reliant on mobility devices or specific accessibility requirements, every journey becomes fraught with potential risks. From damaged wheelchairs to inaccessible transportation options like taxis, subway stations, terminals, ferries, and flights, along with inadequately trained personnel, these issues are far from new. Despite years of advocacy and legal progress, many still confront significant barriers merely navigating their own neighborhoods, much less traveling abroad.

This is more than just an inconvenience. For many disabled travelers, the anxiety of whether their mobility devices will arrive unharmed—or at all—can quickly diminish their sense of autonomy and dignity. These essential tools, often seen by disabled individuals as extensions of their bodies, are frequently handled with less care than regular checked luggage, leaving travelers anxious and, in some instances, stranded. It's a stark contradiction: while these athletes excel in their sports, mastering intricate techniques and pushing their physical limits, they still face fundamental hurdles just getting to their competitions. For Scott—and the entire Canadian women’s basketball team, who reportedly faced lost or damaged wheelchairs on their way to a previous game—these vulnerabilities are painfully real.

Bridging the accessibility divide

With the Paralympics currently taking place, the U.S. DOT is seizing the opportunity to spotlight the progress made in addressing long-standing gaps in transportation accessibility. A significant development is a new regulation implemented in February, which enforces stricter penalties on airlines for the loss or damage of mobility devices.

Additionally, a new requirement for accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft is expected to be enforced “as soon as 2026,” according to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. In a recent interview, Buttigieg emphasized that while certain regulations and enforcement measures will take more time—such as “allowing passengers to remain in their wheelchairs on board”—his department will continue to advocate for these vital changes to be realized.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in 2021, is also catalyzing change. This initiative is set to fund over 60,000 projects throughout the USA, marking the largest investment in accessible infrastructure in the nation's history. Among these efforts, the $1 billion All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) aims to tackle accessibility issues at transit and rail stations nationwide. Furthermore, $5 billion has been designated to enhance accessibility at over 150 airports through the Airport Terminals Program.

A global outlook

As the United States rolls out new regulations aimed at eliminating barriers, other nations are also joining the movement for accessible skies. In Canada, initiatives to enhance accessibility have gained momentum. As an advocate at the forefront of this effort, I chair the Accessible Travel Journey Technical Committee for Accessibility Standards Canada, where we focus on creating new standards under the Accessible Canada Act to tackle the challenges faced by passengers with disabilities. A National Air Accessibility summit held last May, organized by Canada’s Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez and Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera, brought together key stakeholders from across the country to confront these urgent issues.

Hearings have been conducted in the House of Commons, where I, alongside numerous activists, presented statements and testimonies emphasizing the ongoing struggles faced by disabled travelers, including inadequate treatment of those traveling with service animals and alarming incidents of passengers being removed from planes on food carts or dropped and injured during transfers.

In the United Kingdom, advocates like Sophie Morgan are making similar advances. Morgan’s Channel 4 documentary, Sophie Morgan’s Fight to Fly, highlights the barriers disabled travelers face, advocating for stronger regulations and increased accountability from airlines. Her efforts resonate with the global demand for more comprehensive policies to safeguard the rights of disabled travelers.

Together, Sophie and I, as cofounders of the #RightsOnFlights movement, have observed a worldwide response to the critical need for change in air travel accessibility. With leaders like Kelly Buckland and Senator Tammy Duckworth championing genuine reform, we remain hopeful that disabled travelers will one day be able to remain in our mobility devices while onboard aircraft.

The road ahead

Despite the strides being made, the quest for completely accessible transportation is far from complete. While enhanced regulations and new policies are encouraging developments, the effectiveness of their implementation is crucial. Without proper enforcement, disabled travelers will continue to encounter barriers.

Solutions must be co-created with disabled leaders and individuals with a range of disabilities to ensure that efforts to eliminate current barriers do not unintentionally create new ones. Our experiences provide valuable insights into the challenges we face and the practicality of effective solutions.

Much of the effort involves changing the mindset of the entire travel industry. The ability to travel freely is essential for our full participation in society. Ensuring that disabled individuals can easily move through airports, board planes, and explore new cities should be a standard expectation, not a luxury.

As the Paralympics highlight the remarkable achievements of athletes worldwide, it serves as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the disabled community. However, even as we celebrate their triumphs, we must acknowledge that the battle for accessibility will persist long after the games conclude.