The chief executive of a major disability advocacy voice says she was disappointed but unsurprised to hear of a wheelchair-using Australian’s struggles with an airline.
Shane Hryhorec, 41, claims he was “kicked off” a Sydney to Adelaide flight on Monday because there was nowhere to safely place his battery-powered motorised SmartDrive wheel, which he uses to propel his wheelchair.
Hryhorec, a disability advocate with C5 incomplete quadriplegia, said the design of the business class row ahead left no room for it under the footrest, and the 20-minute exchange with Virgin crew in front of a packed plane had left him humiliated.
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“It’s disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. It’s certainly not an isolated incident,” Disability Advocacy Network Australia chief executive Elicia Ford told 7NEWS.com.au.
“It just reflects the everyday negotiation of access that people with disability frequently experience.
“It’s a tangible example of the gap between promises of inclusion and the reality that disabled people have to constantly negotiate access to everyday life, ordinary life.”
Shane Hryhorec said there was not enough room to place the SmartDrive in front of him due to the design of the row ahead, nor was there space to safely put it next to his service dog. Credit: Shane Hryhorec
Regulations regarding the storage of lithium-ion batteries meant the SmartDrive had to be easily accessible in the cabin and could not be stored with Hryhorec’s check-in nor in the overhead lockers where he usually keeps it.
The Port Adelaide local said one flight attendant had flagged they could put it in the footrest of an empty seat at the back of the plane, but that was overruled.
Hryhorec said he had flown with Virgin several times in the last week without issue.
In the end, he and his service dog were moved to an alternate flight.
“We’re seeing a real example here of where airline policy, safety and access are clashing, so to speak,” Ford said.
“Airlines need to have safe and workable solutions to operational issues, but they also need to have clear, consistent and accessible processes for mobility equipment.
“And frontline staff need the training and authority to resolve situations that don’t fit standard process.
“So instead of defaulting immediately to ‘you can’t travel’, it should be, ‘how can we make this safely work for everybody?’.”
Shane Hryhorec said he felt humiliated during a 20 minute exchange with Virgin staff and when he was eventually taken off the flight. Credit: Shane Hryhorec
In Australia, almost one in five people lived with disability in 2024.
Ford said many report “having to negotiate access to things that others take for granted”, including air travel or other types of transport, accommodation, healthcare, education and employment.
“It can be policy and procedural barriers, lack of staff, understanding or just systems simply not designed with disabled people in mind,” Ford said.
“The issue isn’t whether a person with disability can technically get on a plane, it’s whether they can participate in ordinary life without having to repeatedly negotiate, explain and defend their right to be there.”
She said the “burden needs to shift from people with disability having to negotiate their inclusion to systems being designed to include them”.
Virgin Australia told 7NEWS.com.au in a statement that it is “committed to providing an accessible and inclusive travel experience for all our guests”.
“While the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, we are reviewing the circumstances of (Monday’s) experience to understand whether there are opportunities to better identify specific seating or stowage requirements in advance and how our teams can support guests in similar circumstances,” a spokesperson said.
“We have reached out to Mr Hryhorec to find out more about his experience and we are reviewing the circumstances that led to this unfortunate outcome for one of our guests.”
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