Cure SMA has launched an equipment grant program to provide Fold & Go travel power chairs to children and adults living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in the United States or Puerto Rico. Recipients of the travel chairs will own the equipment outright. Less than 12 hours after launching the program on Oct. 8, Cure…
Cure SMA Equipment Grant Program Offers Travel Power Chairs
Briefly: Southwest Changes Wheelchair Rules; Biotechnology Company Wins $5M Parkinson’s Grant
Featuring Southwest Airlines, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Lys Therapeutics.
Southwest Changes Wheelchair Battery, Size Policies Southwest Airlines has changed its policies for transporting wheelchairs and mobility devices, with new rules going into effect Sept. 25, 2025. Starting on that date, “wheelchairs and devices with a height that exceeds 34 inches (86.36 cm) or a width or depth that exceeds 45 inches (114.2 cm) will…
Airchair II Transport Chair Launches for US Airline Use
The new wheelchair conforms to Department of Transportation requirements.
A new folding-frame transport wheelchair is now available for use on airplanes in the United States. The Airchair II, launched in mid August, is constructed of high-strength aluminum alloy and features antimicrobial powder coating on the frame. It has a 550-lb. (250-kg) weight capacity while weighing just 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) itself. The wheelchair’s rear…
Briefly: United Spinal Launches Health Access Group; Travel Insurance Company Names Best, Worst Airlines for Handling Wheelchairs
Featuring United Spinal Association and InsureMyTrip.
United Spinal Launches Health Access Working Group United Spinal Association is seeking members for its new Health Access Working Group, created to “advocate for improving access to health-care services for the disability community.” Members will work together “to identify health-care accessibility problems, key obstacles and societal barriers that prevent people with disabilities access to the…
Briefly: VA to End Remote Work Arrangements; Wheelchair Travel Advocate Stars in Super Bowl Commercial
Featuring the Department of Veterans Affairs and Curb Free with Cory Lee.
VA Calls for Employees’ Full-Time Return to Offices The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has told eligible employees that they must return to work full time “at their respective duty stations (agency worksites).” The policy change complies with President Donald Trump’s “Return to In-Person Work” memorandum, issued on Jan. 20 and calling for “heads of…
DOT Final Rule: Airlines Required to ‘Meet More Rigorous Standards’ for Passengers with Disabilities
Starting in January, airlines will have additional standards for handling wheelchairs and supporting passengers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a new final rule that includes “new protections for people with disabilities in commercial air travel that will ensure that they can fly safely and with dignity.” A Dec. 16 DOT announcement from DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg added that the new, “more rigorous standards” applied “especially for…
Pride Mobility Launches Jazzy Ultra Light Folding Power Wheelchair
The new power chair was designed to be easily transportable.
Pride Mobility’s newest transportable power wheelchair weighs just 33 lbs. without its battery. The foldable Jazzy Ultra Light has an all carbon-fiber frame “durable enough to withstand all your customers’ travels, but light enough to make every trip a cool breeze, whether through airports, on cruise ships, or just around the block,” Pride said in…
Commentary: 3 Takeaways from the DOT’s $50 Million American Airlines Fine
Why this historic penalty could change the way airlines treat wheelchair riders and their equipment.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines $50 million, saying in an October announcement that the carrier “failed to provide safe, dignified, and prompt wheelchair assistance and mishandled passengers’ wheelchairs.” This is hardly the first time airlines’ poor treatment of wheelchair riders and their equipment has made the news. But this particular DOT…
American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Mistreating Wheelchair Riders, Mobility Devices
Department of Transportation fine is the largest penalty assessed against an airline for violating disability regulations.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines $50 million for mistreating passengers using wheelchairs, and for mishandling those passengers’ wheelchairs and other mobility equipment. The DOT made the announcement in late October and noted that the fine “is 25 times larger than any previous DOT penalty against an airline for violating disability…
Briefly: Fall Management, Fire Preparedness Studies Announced; American Airlines Debuts Mobility Device Tagging System
Featuring the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and American Airlines.
Participants Sought for Fire Preparedness, Fall Management Studies of Wheelchair Riders The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is seeking wheelchair riders, age 18 or older, to participate in a pair of research studies. The first study — funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research —involves the university’s development of “a wearable…