Project Details

The grant awarded to Indiana University professor, Dr. Shu Cole, totaling $2.5 million from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), aims to develop training recommendations for aviation employees to better assist passengers with mobility aids. This five-year study seeks to make air travel more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities by addressing physical, psychological, and social barriers.

Project Background

• Air travel is essential for work, social networks, and activities.
• Nearly 90% of Americans have flown at least once, with 70% flying in 2023.
• People with disabilities (PwD) fly less despite having similar travel needs due to various barriers.
• Between 2018 and 2019, PwD took 29.6 million trips by air, less than 2% of total enplanements.
• Barriers include lack of wheelchair accommodations, risk of damage to wheelchairs, and inaccessibility of facilities, causing stress, injury, and psychological burden.

• The Air Carrier Access Act (1986) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) improved access but goals are not fully realized.
• Additional regulations like the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010) and the Air Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights aim to ensure transparency and strengthen accessibility.
• Increasing complaints about accessibility and inclusivity, particularly regarding wheelchair assistance, indicate growing dissatisfaction.
• In December 2024, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced new protections for airline passengers with disabilities, including rigorous standards for accommodating passengers who use wheelchairs, hands-on training for airline employees, and specific actions to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged or delayed.

• Research highlights barriers such as inadequate facilities, inconsistent procedures, mishandling of mobility aids, and poor staff services.
• Innovative solutions exist but lack effectiveness studies.
• The project aims to describe barriers and facilitators of accessible air travel, develop a CASA tool to measure needs, and create a pilot training program for aviation employees.
• The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed ongoing barriers and lack of transparency in enforcement activities.

Methods

Project 1: Scoping Literature Reviews

• Advisory Input: Involve Team and Advisory Committee to enhance relevance and impact.
• Literature Search and Study Selection: Collaborate with Indiana University librarians to search databases and identify gray literature. 
• Summarizing: Summarize studies, conduct thematic analysis, identify research gaps, and summarize findings for research, practice, and policy. 

Project 2: Mixed-Method Research on Air Travel for PwPD from Diverse Backgrounds

This project uses a mixed-method approach to study the air travel experiences of people with physical disabilities (PwPD) from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and assess their satisfaction with accessible air travel services. It includes four studies:

• Narrative analysis of barriers and facilitators of air travel, and the role of air travel in the lives of PwPD 
• Participatory photovoice action research on the air travel journey of PwPD 
• Development of a CASA (Customer Accessibility Satisfaction Assessment) tool
• Assessment of PwPD satisfaction with accessible air travel services and the importance of air travel to PwPD via a National Survey

Project 3: Pilot accessibility and inclusivity training for aviation employees

We will develop a pilot accessibility and inclusion training program for aviation employees, using microlearning strategies to effectively address time and resource constraints, while also creating protocols for future standardized training development.