Los Angeles, Marissa Bode, a 25-year-old disabled actor, was denied boarding a flight because of her wheelchair, calling it a 'blatant segregation'. The 'Wicked' actor shared a video on TikTok where she narrated about her flight experience.
Bode said her manager spoke to the airline prior, and they were assured that the necessary arrangements would be made. However, the staff asked if she was able to get up from the wheelchair and walk the stairs, and after denying it, she wasn't allowed to board the flight.
'I was like, disabled people are not an afterthought. Why, knowing that disabled people exist, which y'all clearly often forget, do you choose not to update your planes?' Bode said.
The actor was travelling by Southern Airways Express, whose policy states the passengers must be capable of ascending and descending several steps to board their small aircraft.
