What happens when you have to go to the toilet inflight and you are on a wheelchair? That was a question posed by a reader, Chang Siew Ngoh, after she read Yeoh Siew Hoon’s article on This Much I Know about Accessible Tourism

In her comments she asked, “Do you know how airlines accommodate wheelchair users beyond providing wheelchairs that can go through the aisle between the seats?

“One member shared that upon boarding, one airline asked him if he was wearing adult pampers, i.e. they did not expect to facilitate his access to the toilet onboard. Wheel chair users are expected to have good bladders and not go to the toilets! Such are the difficulties facing wheel chair users when they travel.”

We posed this question to Tim Rushby-Smith, the wheelchair-bound author of “Looking Up: A Humorous and Unflinching Account of Learning to Live Again with Sudden Disability” (pictured left), who travels pretty extensively.

This is what he shares with us:

“I will try not to go into too much colourful detail ...

“When I travel long-haul I have an in-dwelling catheter, which means that I have what's accurately known as a 'legbag', which can then be emptied. Yet another job for my wife Penny to deal with as well as looking after our daughter!

“However, on our last flight with Malaysia Airlines, they did have a 'wheelchair' on the flight. It consisted of a flatpack crate with four tiny casters on the bottom, and it took three flight attendants to assist me into the toilet. The whole experience was chaotic, but it was great to feel that the airline was trying to find a way of accommodating my needs.

“I think something that is often lost on people in the service industries is that as a disabled consumer, I don't expect everything to be perfect, and what counts most is that staff are willing and eager to help. There is too much misunderstanding about the needs of disabled passengers, which stops people asking straight questions or allowing the passenger to make informed decisions.

“For example, I am flying with Singapore Airlines, and because I asked for wheelchair access, I now have to provide them with a letter from my doctor to say that I am fit to fly. They asked if I would need medical assistance and I said no, but rather than let me make the decision about my needs or sign a simple declaration, they expect me to take the time to get a letter from my doctor. There may well be people on the flight who have serious health problems requiring medical attention, but because they are not using a wheelchair, they will not be asked to provide proof of their fitness to fly.”

Back to toilet stories, here is an excerpt from Tim’s book which deals with his flight experience.

"A few hours into the flight, curiosity gets the better of me, and I ask to use the toilet on the plane. The cabin crew cheerfully oblige, reaching into the recesses of a stowage area, and sliding out a flat-pack aisle chair which, once assembled, resembles a milk crate with two pop-up handles on the top, and four tiny casters on the bottom.

“The chair proves quite a challenge to steer, and also to stay on top of (literally), but the real challenge comes when we meet the 3-mm-high threshold strip separating us from the toilet cubicle. The minute casters struggle with the obstruction, and there is much pulling and pushing before we make it into the cubicle. All four of us. An elaborate dance ensues, culminating in me having the cubicle to myself at last.

“I hoist my foot onto the rim of the toilet and rummage up my trouser leg for the valve on the leg bag. Unfortunately, in the ensuing struggle, my elbow hits the flush button and, although I am not sucked out of the aircraft, I do end up with damp trousers. I dry them off with the hand towels as best I can, and decide that it is likely that the flight crew are hanging on my every noise, so I let go of my leg in order to squeeze the bag and speed up the emptying process.

“As the bag is draining, my foot slips, and gets wedged under the toilet seat. I finish the job in hand, all the time sliding back and forth on the brake-free milk crate. I then spend several minutes trying to get my foot out of the toilet seat and my arm out of the sink, where my cuff has caught the tap and my sleeve is filling with water. I finally recover my posture, go through another half-a-dozen paper towels, and press the call button before being manoeuvred back to my seat a little wiser and a lot damper."

You can buy Tim’s book at Amazon.com (Click here)

The International Conference on Accessible Tourism will be held in Singapore from April 23-25, 2009.