by Tova Sherman
For me, a crowded airport isn’t just busy—it is a chaotic storm that tests both my body and my mind. I live with multiple disabilities, spanning across physical hurdles and neurodiverse challenges. Navigating the aviation system means constantly managing physical exhaustion alongside intense sensory overload. Yet, despite the exhausting barriers and systemic gaps I face on regular flights, I absolutely love to travel. The transformative joy of exploring our world is worth fighting for, but the journey shouldn’t require breaking my spirit to get there.
As both an inclusion leader and accessible travel expert, I know that true equity requires looking at the whole person. This past week, I felt a genuine glimmer of hope that a gentler future in the skies is finally coming. I am grateful for our welcoming airport here in Halifax (HIAA), but living in Nova Scotia limits airlines I can use and most of the time it is Air Canada. So, imagine my pleasure when I read about Air Canada’s new accessibility plan to improve travel for folks requiring a more equalized playing field.
A Human Step Forward with Air Canada
Air Canada recently shared its 2026–2029 Accessibility Plan, shaping 157 new initiatives around the ACA (Accessible Canada Act) core framework: “Nothing about us, without us.”
What I appreciated was their focus on dismantling the overlapping physical and invisible barriers that travelers like me encounter simultaneously:
- Plain Language Updates: Rewriting digital apps and flight notifications into simple text. When a flight is delayed, confusing corporate jargon triggers intense panic; simple words offer an immediate cognitive lifeline.
- Heart-Centered Training: Frontline employees will receive mandatory training co-designed by people with disabilities. True inclusion cannot be memorized from a corporate handbook; it must be taught through real, lived human experiences.
- The Sunflower Program: Deepening their commitment to the global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, allowing us to discreetly signal to air crews when we just need a little extra time or gentler guidance.
Air Canada’s steps remind us that the ultimate accommodation is kindness backed by structure. To truly open the skies for everyone, the global airline industry must embrace a more human approach:
- Visual Journeys: Providing picture-based stories of the boarding process so travelers can mentally rehearse their journey before arriving at the gate.
- Sensory Breathing Room: Designing quiet, low-sensory spaces near airport gates to escape the roar of announcements and bright fluorescent lights.
- Unhurried Care: Training flight crews to deliver instructions with patience, ensuring no passenger feels rushed, dismissed, or forced to defend their hidden needs.
When we design air travel to be gentle on the most vulnerable minds and bodies, we accidentally fix it for everyone. A calm gate and a patient smile comfort the anxious first-time flyer and the tired grandparent just as much as they comfort me.
We still have a long runway ahead, but seeing our intersecting lived experiences woven directly into airline policy makes me believe that a safer, softer journey is on the horizon.
If you or a family/friend fly with intersecting disabilities, what small change makes you feel the safest and seen? Let’s share our stories in the comments.
