Heather McCormick’s Post

✈️ I'll be tuning into Sophie Morgan's Fight to Fly documentary, delving into an important issue: the challenges wheelchair users face when flying. 🌍 As an advocate for accessible travel, I believe it's crucial to highlight and address the difficulties that millions encounter while navigating airports and airplanes. From inadequate seating arrangements to limited assistance, the barriers are many and often overlooked. Representing individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries including, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and amputations I hear too often the challenges that they are presented when travelling, often being put off by it altogether. This show is a call to action for the travel industry to implement meaningful changes. #Accessibility #InclusiveTravel #WheelchairUsers #TravelIndustry #ChangeNeeded #Advocacy

As someone who has had bad experiences as a #wheelchair user, I understand the limitations and uncertainties during #air_travel. There's #no_assurance whether I will receive my #wheelchair_in_good_condition, and if something happens to it, what options do I have? It often feels like #decision-makers #lack_an_understanding of #disability, as able-bodied people frequently make decisions for those with disabilities, leading to conflicts. #This_initiative_is_such_a_positive_step forward.

Not all airlines or airline crews are the same, and not all passengers are the same. For airline passengers who rely on a mobility device for their independence, the odds are unacceptably high that those custom devices won't arrive intact, in working order, or at all when they arrive at their destination. Imagine an airline breaking the legs of random passengers, then leaving them to fend for themselves after landing, with no recourse or accountability. That's the ongoing reality for travelers with mobility disabilities. Now imagine being carried like a sack of spuds into the airplane and your assigned seat. You may be smashed into armrests, dropped in the aisle, or have your pants or skirt torn off in front of the other passengers when they get caught on an obstruction. All these are common occurrences. When wheelchair users say they have a fear of flying, it's not a mechanical failure or crash they fear, but the incompetence of baggage handlers and insensitivity of flight crews who may lack any training on preserving the safety, dignity, and human rights of passengers with mobility related disabilities. Finally, it's worth noting that in 2019 alone, 27 million travelers with disabilities made 81 million trips, spending $58.7 BILLION on travel (up from $34.6 billion in 2015). And those folks often travel with family, friends, coworkers and colleagues who spending even more money. #AccessMeansBusiness #AccessMeansDignity #AccessMeansIndependence #AccessMeansFreedom #AccessMeansProsperity Delta Air Lines United Airlines Southwest Airlines Federal Aviation Administration U.S. Department of Transportation United States Access Board

Changes are needed

It’s time to recognize and address the systemic issues faced by wheelchair users and people with disabilities in transportation. From damaged wheelchairs on airlines to inadequate facilities in taxis and trains, these challenges highlight a broader need for empathy and proper accommodation. Every wheelchair is a precious extension of its user’s mobility, akin to their legs. Yet, the consistent mishandling and disrespect towards these essential tools reflect a significant gap in our transportation systems. Celebrating the leadership and bravery of Sophie Morgan, who is taking this global issue head-on. Her advocacy is a powerful reminder of the importance of equality, dignity, and respect for all passengers. Together, we can push for better training for staff, improved infrastructure, strict policy enforcement, and continuous advocacy to ensure a more inclusive and equitable transportation system. #Inclusion #DisabilityRights #AccessibleTransportation #SophieMorgan #WeAreBillionStrong #BillionStrong #DisabilityConfident #DisabilityInclusion #WheelChair #WheelChairLife #WheelChairTravel #Airline #GreenDisability Billion Strong #Channel6 #AccessibleTourism #AccessibleTravel #AirlineFails #Humans

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A film that profoundly impacts me every time I think of it is American Street Kid by Michael Leoni. This powerful documentary shines a stark light on the urgent need to provide real, sustained support for youth aging out of foster care and those affected by the child welfare system. It reveals the heartbreaking reality that many of these young people, often left homeless and vulnerable, are abandoned by the very systems meant to protect them. The lack of critical resources leaves them struggling to survive. This film is more than just a story—it’s a call to action for all of us to push for systemic change and ensure that no young person is left to navigate these challenges alone. One of the most heartbreaking moments in American Street Kid shows Michael Leoni desperately calling shelters and housing programs across the state, only to be met with the devastating reality that there are no available beds or emergency shelters for youth as young as 14. These children, often mislabeled as "runaways," are dismissed as "the problem" rather than recognized as victims of a broken system and programs. This scene is all too familiar in my work today and underscores the profound failures of our housing resources and emergency services. The rising rates of homeless youth in California need immediate action to provide stable housing, financial support, and a reliable safety net. The rising rates of homeless youth in California are alarming, with many being former foster youth and teens from other states, left without support after aging out of the system. I have personally met several during my teens years when I myself was identified as an "unaccompanied homeless youth," and also a labeled runaway. I was pushed out of my programs and told I was better off going AWOL from my "reunifying shelter" because no one would pick me up, or could care for me. This was right in Long Beach, where I walked and found my way to LA on many of occasions, some of the very streets shown in American Street Kid. Where I met many youth in similar situations depicted in this film. Some of them still friends of mine to this day. American Street Kid powerfully illuminates how the system is failing these vulnerable young people, and its consequences ripple through society. This documentary serves as a crucial conversation starter, shedding light on the homeless youth community and the urgent need for systemic change. It’s a film that should be shared and discussed widely to expose that the struggles of homeless youth are not just seen but need to be addressed. We need to really start giving every young person the opportunity to lead a stable, fulfilling life. Here is the link to watch:

I cannot say it better than Fran below. This is the situation on the ground and it is dire. The Welcome Home project is a drop in the ocean and we are definitely not the best solution for a family. Every family wants their own front door. In reality we are a bed and breakfast and a family should not legally stay with us for more than 6 weeks. Fact. But why do I persist? Because local authorities are putting families in Travellodges at costs of up to £110. No cooking facilities. No refridgeration facilities. No laundry. No space. No community. This is a scandalous waste of money when there is no money. There is also no accomodation. Our rooms cost £63-80 per night. Each room has cots or moses baskets as needed. They also have a fridge. A microwave. A TV. A desk. A chair. Draws. Hanging space. Wi-Fi, Shared kitchen. Shared laundry. Shared living dining. Shared garden. But most of all a space where families know someone cares and they are not abandoned and forgotten about. Their stay may be short but the community and support will last a lifetime. At the very least we have to show people compassion and give them hope. That costs £0.

This has been a week of ups and downs. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities released the latest Temporary accommodation (TA) data which set another all-time high, with 109,000 households living in TA (up 10% from the same quarter in 2022) including 142,490 children (up 14% from a year ago). Nearly 5,000 families with children are living in Bed & Breakfasts, up 65% since the same period in 2022, more than half of who have been there longer than 6 weeks. It is worth remembering that this is unlawful yet, due to the dire lack of social housing, there is simply nowhere else for them to go. In the same week, Eastbourne Borough Council was the latest local authority to declare a state of housing emergency due to the cost of TA. This bleak picture, with no promise of imminent systemic change to reverse the trend, can seem hopeless. However, amidst all this, there is some good news. The government has listened to the campaigning of All Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation Shared Health Foundation Justlife Foundation and all of you who signed the #SilentNightmare petition, and the Department for Levelling Up has updated Chapter 17, Suitability of Accommodation, of the Homelessness Code of Guidance to make it explicit that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under 2 if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed. Furthermore, Amnesty International UK has joined the campaign for better standards of Temporary Accommodation, releasing a brilliant short film featuring Olivia Colman, using the data around child deaths in TA shared with the APPG by people from the National Child Mortality Database. We are grateful to those who were brave enough to delve into these stats which have been the shocking driver behind the SIlent Nightmare campaign We are slowly getting closer to temporary accommodation being safer and healthier. There is a lot further to go, but this week has made it feel that change is possible, even if it's in incremental steps. #homelessness #temporaryaccommodation #housingisahumanright https://lnkd.in/eUGy-aXq

The latest issue of #TheBrightSide is now on our website! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dPj9uNYT #sndmow #surreybc #morethanjustameal #mealsonwheels #mealsforseniors #communityservice #serviceforseniors #LikeFollowShare #MonthlyNewsletter