Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
- An Air Canada passenger says her independence was stripped after the airline damaged her wheelchair.
- Maayan Ziv was flying from Toronto to Israel to attend an accessibility conference.
- "Too many disabled people have faced this trauma," she said.
An Air Canada passenger said her independence was stripped from her when she got off a 10.5-hour flight, only to discover her wheelchair had been damaged.
Maayan Ziv, the CEO of AccessNow, an accessibility app, was flying from Toronto to Israel for an accessibility conference and outlined what happened on Twitter.
"No one told me that the wheelchair was damaged. No one told me that anything had happened," Ziv told The CBC.
"Imagine someone basically chopping off your legs when you arrive somewhere — that's the equivalent of what it feels like," she said.
—Maayan Ziv (@maayanziv) September 8, 2022
The CBC reported the wheelchair was valued at around $ 23,000.
In a statement to the news outlet, Air Canada said the company did not meet their "normal service levels" in this incident and offered the 32-year-old a voucher. Ziv said the voucher was a $ 300 e-coupon.
After the incident, Ziv posted a video on Instagram, saying she feels like people with disabilities aren't seen.
"Too many disabled people have faced this trauma. Our stories, and our lives matter and this cannot continue to happen!," she said.
Air Canada and Ziv did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.
https://i.insider.com/631c1026c3104e0012506846?format=jpeg
