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An Adelaide entrepreneur and disability advocate said he recently had one of the “worst experiences” he had ever had in “15 years of flying with a disability”.
key point:
- Shane Hryhorec recently returned to Australia from Germany via Abu Dhabi
- He said he was searched and told to get out of the wheelchair and his passport was confiscated
- The experience left him ‘shaken’ and prompted him to call for change
Shane Hryhorec, who runs disability equipment provider Push Mobility, said he had his passport confiscated and his wheelchair confiscated at Abu Dhabi airport after he was forced to leave one of the batteries in Germany.
The “ordeal” occurred when he returned to Australia from Europe earlier this week.
“I travel a lot with work and … I’ve had some really tough experiences before,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide’s Stacey Lee.
“But I’ve never been to a place where the security – in this case the police officer in charge of airport security – searched me in a very forceful manner and took me into a private room.”
Mr Hryhorec said when he boarded an Etihad Airways flight in Munich, the journey was distressing from the start.
“Like most wheelchair users, I have a motor that helps me become independent, and when I get on the plane, the cabin crew will say, ‘Hey look, you have too many batteries, you have to leave one, or You can’t fly’,” he said.
Considering “things couldn’t get any worse”, Mr Hryhorec then went through security at Abu Dhabi International Airport in a further confrontation that left him feeling “violated, distraught” and “angry”.
“They started searching me without permission, then took me to a private room, got me out of a wheelchair, and they needed to take it away for a scan, which I refused,” he said.
“For me or anyone with a disability, take the wheelchair away from you – you don’t know if you can get it back.”
‘They think I’m a terrorist’
Mr Hryhorec said when he was told to move to an “office chair with a big hole in it and six small wheels” he feared he would be injured and asked to speak to his manager.
“The ordeal went on for a long time – they confiscated my passport. The airport staff said if you didn’t comply, they would probably arrest you and things would get worse,” he said.
“I had no choice but to move to a seat, they took my chair, they scanned it with an X-ray machine, and finally they brought it back to me and I continued my journey.
“Obviously I’m in total shock – imagine travelling through a destination with a disability and then being arrested and sent to jail or whatever.”
Abu Dhabi International Airport and Etihad Airways have been contacted for comment.
“In 15 years of flying, I have never been told to get out of my wheelchair,” Mr Hryhorec said.
“I think they think I’m a terrorist.”
South Australian Public Service Minister Nat Cook called Mr Hryhorec’s experience “shocking” and said it highlighted the need for reform and awareness-raising in the global aviation industry.
“I’d love to try and connect with the federal government and see what we can do to work with airlines and global suppliers,” she said.
“I know there are various standards around the world…but at least let’s see if we can use that as a starting point.”
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