Steve’s battle for disabled fliers

Steve’s battle for disabled fliers

15 August 2018

ONE of the worst days in the life of wheelchair user Steve Smithers has resulted in a cash boost for a disability charity.

Steve and his partner, Lisa Clydesdale, from Killinchy, are determined to turn a humiliating experience into a positive one for people with disabilities travelling in the future.

He made national headlines last week when he was prevented from flying out of Belfast International Airport to visit his sick father in England.

The 48 year-old needed to carry on a tools wallet in order to do any repairs or adjustments to his wheelchair as well as making adjustments to drive a hire car from Gatwick to Essex.

However, a security guard refused to allow the tool kit on to the plane on Saturday, August 5, due to security 

reasons — even though Steve learnt later that cabin crew would have been happy to keep the tool kit until the plane landed.

The security concern was that Steve could somehow have used the tools to dismantle the plane.

A tense and fraught exchange between the determined security supervisor and Steve in front of other boarding passengers left him in tears.

However, the couple’s refusal to accept what they saw as unfair treatment led to them telling their story to the media after they received a public apology and an undisclosed amount of compensation from Belfast International Airport.

They are donating the compensation from the airport to the Belfast-based charity, along with the refunded 

easyJet flight cost and the cost of a Stena Line crossing to Scotland which was offered to them after the news broke.

Lisa, who was born and raised in Co Down, said: “We are donating the money to the charity as we want to make it clear that this was never about money for us. This was about making sure that this does not happen again.

“We will be travelling by Stena Line to Scotland to drive down to see 

Steve’s father at the end of the month but we will be covering that expense ourselves.”

The couple have been overwhelmed with messages of support from people with disabilities and the able-bodied since the incident was revealed.

A Scotsman even contacted them to offer that he would drive Steve down to see his father in Essex if he made it over to Scotland.

Steve said of his experience: “This is exactly this sort of experience that makes people even more restricted by their disabilities than they already are. 

“We want to see this change. There has been such phenomenal support shown to us over social media that we want to use this as an opportunity to highlight the issues people with disabilities face on a regular basis and to make it clear that it is not acceptable to treat vulnerable people like this.”

Lisa added: “We are happy with the airport’s response as they have acknowledged that the way Steve was treated was unacceptable. 

“They are agreed to make the donation and also to look at their policies and customer service process and escalation process moving forward which we are really happy with as that’s more important to us than any financial gain. That’s a big win for us.”

Steve was left paralysed from the chest down 11 years ago after he was hit head-on on his motorbike by a car making an illegal right turn on a blind bend. He considers himself lucky to be alive today.

Since then he has successfully travelled over four continents and counts what happened at Belfast Airport as his worst experience ever.

On this occasion, he was travelling alone to see his sick father ahead of his starting chemotherapy for cancer which has moved into his bones.

Lisa left him up to the airport for the flight to Gatwick and was called to collect him again after his efforts to explain why he needed the repair kit on board were not understood. 

While the couple appreciate the need for rigorous flight safety considerations and that work tools are not normally allowed in the cabin, they were left incredulous at the thought that 

Steve could have somehow caused damage to the plane.

“For this to happen in Belfast, I’m really embarrassed as I’m a local girl. This impaired Steve more than his disability,” said Lisa.

“Steve is already aware that people are looking at him and are judging him when he’s sitting there, not only in his wheelchair, but being confronted by the supervisor security guard who is talking over him and not giving him a chance to explain. He was very vulnerable already and this made him vulnerable and exposed.”

“I don’t think it would have happened if I had been travelling with him or if the special assistance team had still been with him.”

Steve wants to put the experience behind him and says he will fly again. 

“We are travelling over [by ferry and car] at the end of the month to see my dad and that’s the most important thing,” stresses Steve.

“Dad was quite upset and is trying to be very stoic about things but he was absolutely gutted about it.

“It’s cliched but you just hope that by us going through this experience, it will save someone else from going through something similar. If that had been achieved, then it has been worthwhile.

“I’m not a shrinking violet or anything like that, but I was quite shocked how badly it affected both of us.”