Australia —
VIRGIN Blue, whose founder, Richard Branson, overcame a
disability, faces a human rights complaint over the
airline's new requirements governing disabled
passengers.
The Australian Federation of
Disability Organisations said it lodged a complaint with
the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
yesterday on grounds the airline was breaching public
transport access provisions.
Maurice Corcoran, the group's
president, said Virgin Blue was requiring disabled
passengers who could not get to the toilet on their own
or look after themselves in an emergency, to provide a
carer.
Mr Corcoran said the policy, to
take effect tomorrow, was disappointing given that Mr
Branson had "overcome a significant disability -
dyslexia".
The Human Rights Commissioner,
Graeme Innes, said standards for public transport
required airlines to ensure "equivalent access" to
disabled passengers through direct assistance where
reasonable.
A Virgin Blue spokeswoman, Amanda
Bulger, yesterday blamed the outcry from disabled groups
on misinformation and confusion.
"A wheelchair user, or a
non-wheelchair user in some circumstances, may need a
carer, if they are unable to independently manage safety
requirements, such as the oxygen masks or life jackets in
the event of an emergency," Ms Bulger said.
But Mr Corcoran, and other people
with quadriplegia who are frequent flyers, told the
Herald they could not fulfil these requirements but had
never had problems with other airlines.
Qantas said its staff helped
disabled passengers to the toilet door and assisted them
in emergencies. Jetstar said it did not require disabled
passengers to have a carer, provided they could lift
themselves into the aircraft wheelchair.
A spokesman for the federal
Community Services Minister, John Cobb, said Virgin Blue
needed to clarify its policy and said it was surprising
that it had not consulted with disability organisations
about the policy.
The NSW Disability Services
Minister, John Della Bosca, said that unless Virgin Blue
changed its policy there would be "widespread public
concern".
