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Stranded by airline, a disabled D.C. activist crawled off his flight. But the humiliation was far fr
Morning Mix
Stranded by airline, a disabled D.C. activist crawled off his flight. But the humiliation was far from over.
By Michael E. Miller October 28 at 4:34 AM
D’Arcee Neal dutifully waited for a wheelchair. ... He had just flown five hours from San Francisco to his hometown of Washington without a bathroom break because his cerebral palsy prevented him from using the United Airlines toilets. Then he had waited the usual 15 minutes for the plane to empty before someone could help him exit in a special narrowly built wheelchair. But the wheelchair never came.
....
Until finally, he could wait no longer. As stunned flight attendants looked on, 29-year-old Neal fell to the floor and proceeded to drag himself roughly 50 feet to the airplane’s door, where his own wheelchair was waiting for him.
....
What you probably haven’t heard, however, is what happened afterward: the ignorance, the Internet comments, the wild accusations and the humiliation of crawling on one’s hands in public — relived over and over online. .... The first thing you should know about Neal is that his life has been pretty darn tough. The D.C. native is African American, openly gay and disabled — a triple minority.
....
But when his story hit the media, Neal was baffled to see commenters blaming him for the episode. Some said he was engaged in a publicity stunt. Many suggested he was out for money. ... “This person may wanted to get attention for his agenda!” wrote one person, who also insinuated that Neal lied about what happened. ... “How much money are you looking for,” wrote another. “How funny you need to go to the bathroom when plane lands and everyone is looking to run off the plane.” (Note that Neal insists he waited until the plane was empty.)
Stranded by airline, a disabled D.C. activist crawled off his flight. But the humiliation was far from over.
By Michael E. Miller October 28 at 4:34 AM
D’Arcee Neal dutifully waited for a wheelchair. ... He had just flown five hours from San Francisco to his hometown of Washington without a bathroom break because his cerebral palsy prevented him from using the United Airlines toilets. Then he had waited the usual 15 minutes for the plane to empty before someone could help him exit in a special narrowly built wheelchair. But the wheelchair never came.
....
Until finally, he could wait no longer. As stunned flight attendants looked on, 29-year-old Neal fell to the floor and proceeded to drag himself roughly 50 feet to the airplane’s door, where his own wheelchair was waiting for him.
....
What you probably haven’t heard, however, is what happened afterward: the ignorance, the Internet comments, the wild accusations and the humiliation of crawling on one’s hands in public — relived over and over online. .... The first thing you should know about Neal is that his life has been pretty darn tough. The D.C. native is African American, openly gay and disabled — a triple minority.
....
But when his story hit the media, Neal was baffled to see commenters blaming him for the episode. Some said he was engaged in a publicity stunt. Many suggested he was out for money. ... “This person may wanted to get attention for his agenda!” wrote one person, who also insinuated that Neal lied about what happened. ... “How much money are you looking for,” wrote another. “How funny you need to go to the bathroom when plane lands and everyone is looking to run off the plane.” (Note that Neal insists he waited until the plane was empty.)
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