Family kicked off flight after daughter with autism deemed ‘disruptive’
Source: http://www.msnbc.com
An Oregon mom has filed a complaint against United Airlines after it removed her and her family from a flight because it said her 15-year-old daughter, who has autism, had become “disruptive.”
The woman, Dr. Donna Beegle of Tigard, Oregon — a prominent advocate for anti-poverty programs who frequently consults with state and federal government agencies — was returning home with her family from a trip to Walt Disney World last week when her daughter Juliette became agitated because she was hungry during a layover in Houston, Beegle said.
Beegle said that after she persuaded a flight attendant to give her daughter some hot food, Juliette had calmed down and was quietly watching a movie when “the next thing we hear is we’re doing an emergency landing in Salt Lake City,” Beegle told NBC station KGW of Portland, Oregon. “We have a passenger on board with a behavior issue.”
Police officers boarded the plane and escorted the entire family off, Beegle told the station. “As a mom it ripped my heart out,” she said. “I was shaking.”
Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/family-kicked-flight-after-daughter-autism-deemed-disruptive
https://www.facebook.com/United?rf=110807358940261
if you'd like to share your opinion with United
= new reply since forum marked as read
Suddenly, with a physical handicap he had a deeper appreciation for the predicaments of those who had an economic handicap.
The autistic girl's mother grew up in poverty.
Perhaps she recognized echoes in the way her daughter was treated with what she herself experienced growing up.
As for appalling, callous, and insensitive, I think the posts speak for themselves. It would be like trying to explain a joke to someone who doesn't get it.
Have a wonderful day.
Last edited Mon May 11, 2015, 11:05 PM - Edit history (1)
I thought your response to that poster was... impolite. I provided two of the specific examples you were requesting to back up the claim of "insensitive" (etc.) posts, since I agree with the other poster. Now that I have done that, your only reply to the "specific posts" you requested is:
<<And no one has accused her of using "poverty" as a "rationale". Try again.>>
I made my case just fine. And the mother was accused of using poverty as a "rationale" in the very first response to the OP. Just reread what I wrote. If am misunderstanding what you meant by <<And yes, the mother throwing the "poverty" card out there was a bit strange, since that had nothing to do with the situation>> (or when you reiterated in a subsequent post that the mother had thrown the "poverty card"
, then inform me... politely... of exactly what I am misunderstanding.
As I asked before: What is the allegation against her? Is it that she is referencing her anti-poverty work to manipulate public opinion in her favor? Or... do you think she is actually claiming to be poor (still)? Or, do you and others not agree with her point that people with disabilities and people living in poverty both face ignorance, stereotypes, barriers, discrimination, prejudice, etc.? Or, is it that even though her poverty reference was towards the end of a very long post on her personal Facebook page filled with anti-poverty references (since that's such a focus of her life and work), you feel it's irrelevant, thus "strange"? Or...?
People with disabilities and families with kids with disabilities can deal with a lot of crap (ignorance, stereotypes, barriers, discrimination, prejudice, lack of accommodations etc.) on a daily basis, and traveling (not at home where we can retreat from all that) can be extra stressful and draining. A little understanding, flexibility, compassion and accommodation go a long way.
This thread has left a very bad taste in my mouth. Your post is reassuring.
Sending good vibes to you and your family in the hopes of a more compassionate world.
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last until the end of time
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
She changed her story a few times. If I had to put down money on a bet re: who to back, I'd have to back the flight crew. I think the teen ager who is afflicted with the condition is absolutely FAULTLESS, mind you, but this mother stood up and threatened the crew, basically. For someone who is a writer and -- gee-- has a new book coming out, such a convenient coincidence -- I'm rather surprised that she could express herself so inarticulately that her words about her kid could conceivably be taken as a threat (and I took them that way, based on HER words). We've also not heard Word One from Dad, who was on the flight as well but doesn't seem to want to contribute his version to the circus surrounding this imbroglio. She claims that her daughter was kicked off the plane 'because she has autism' but in actual fact, the family was removed because of the MOTHER's behavior.
I've traveled with people in wheelchairs with other special needs, to include "personal items" and medications and restricted diets. I am a relentless planner so if there's no delay or plane cancellation I can usually manage pretty well. Even at that, I tend to bring extra of everything, so I can muddle through. I know all about getting there early, pre-boarding (and doing it quickly as one can manage) and doing a gate check of a chair or assistive device. I don't expect the flight crew to have medications or "special" things handy for my travel companion(s), and I don't expect first class amenities and services when I book coach seats. I know some airline personnel can be shits, but I don't think that was the case in this instance. I also know that flight crew can and do go above and beyond to help people out and can be very kind, especially if they're spoken to like humans and not servant-robots. They're not stupid--they've seen all sorts of people, all sorts of conditions, and they aren't easily shocked or put off by differences. They aren't going to get mad at a kid for "having autism." They might get concerned if a passenger, in essence, threatens that the child will go off the page if the flight crew doesn't "hop to" and accommodate her needs.
I have to wonder if the mother has gotten first class accommodations in coach previously, and simply expected them, or if this is a publicity stunt for the book at the expense of the child. I just don't know. I can understand being tired, and maybe needing some respite, but this isn't a new circumstance and that family has traveled a great deal before--it's not like they were rubes in the air (Platinum Club? Heck, I'm not even in the "Plastic Club!" and didn't know what to expect in terms of service while sitting in coach. Bring food the kid likes (apparently salty snacks are a hit, and the parents didn't have any--how hard is that?). Food thermoses are great and they could buy some chow in the concourse along the gate area right before boarding and shove it in one of those things, and voila--hot food. The flight crew did heat up the sandwich they had, but she didn't want that, and the mother started demanding "rice" from the first class meals. I mean, come on. That's not how it's done. But ya know what? You can buy fully cooked cups of shelf-stable rice in the supermarket--with the appropriate container (a metal or pyrex cup) they could have heated up that for her, no trouble.
This is a post Nahn-Wun-Wun world, and people are on edge when they fly. Add to that there isn't a lot of room in coach, everyone feels like a sardine slammed into an uncomfortable seat, and most people just try to Zen into their own little world and get through it. When someone causes drama and starts berating the flight crew and challenging their authority, that can be upsetting and it's never a good idea. I think the crew may have anticipated that there would be a Next Demand and they just weren't going to be kept on tenterhooks. The captain, at the end of the day, made the decision, and I think he or she made the right one. It's not the kid who was the problem--it was the parent.
Exactly how agitated did she become? And if she was that disruptive, why was she allowed to be on the plane to begin with? From Mrs. Beegle's Facebook page:
I asked the flight attendant if she had any hot food (Juliette will not eat cold food and had refused her dinner prior to the flight)...
Well, then, it was Mrs. Beegle's fault for deciding to fly her autistic child on an empty stomach, and perhaps she could have arranged for a special meal to be available beforehand. And I think it's very odd that there's not a single word describing her daughter's agitation -- was she merely noisy, clearly beyond parental control, or potentially violent?
rocktivity
They shouldn't be flying her anywhere without access to hot meals from either themselves or the airlines. People with conditions like diabetes and food allergies have to make such pre-arrangements.
rocktivity
Restoring my flagging faith in humanity, one post at a time. 
sounds like this woman did everything she could BEFORE getting on the plane, then kept trying afterward as well.
i guess every person who is "not normal" is subject to harassment these days both by authorities and social media.
to you. i know how hard it can be.
I like totally recommend that for everyone.
Do you mind buying me one?
