Travel Tips: What are my rights at TSA in a wheelchair (or other mobility aid)?
- blessyourvibes
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Travel tips in this article from The Washington Post:
Reader question: I need wheelchair assistance to get from check-in to the door of the plane. I have TSA PreCheck, but no matter whether it’s BWI or DCA, most times I am treated like I’m on the No Fly List. I have to stand in the scanner in a pose that is not safe. I get wanded, felt up, and my carry-on is inspected because I have a curling iron. Every. Single. Time. I feel like the TSA agents enjoy making me jump through hoops just to break up the monotony. What’s the deal? — Anonymous
You’re not alone in feeling this way. When I shared your experience with Alvaro Silberstein, CEO of the accessible travel company Wheel the World, he told me, “It’s not surprising.”
“This is a systematic experience that travelers with disabilities often face,” he said.
I also reached out to both airports you mentioned, the Transportation Security Administration and other wheelchair travel experts to see whether anything can be done to improve your travel day.
Both airports referred me to the TSA. “They are in charge of equipping, staffing and operating the checkpoints in commercial airports to the standards and policies set by the federal government,” Rob Yingling of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in an email.
TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said that if you’re traveling in a wheelchair, you can request to stay seated during your screening either at the checkpoint or in a private screening room. Accessible travel blog founder Cory Lee recommended the same.
“I have never gotten out of my wheelchair when I’m going through TSA, even before I had PreCheck,” Lee said.
Lee tells travelers to study the Air Carrier Access Act, “which is the set of regulations that protects travelers with disabilities,” he said. “Knowing what your rights are before you fly has really helped me.”
If you’d like to try standing and passing through the metal detector to avoid the pat-down, Farbstein said you could ask a TSA officer to provide you with a wooden cane for support.
“If for some reason a wooden cane is not available, I’ve seen TSA officers offer their hand to assist travelers walk through a metal detector,” she said.
Farbstein also said that if you’d like any additional assistance, the agency has a program called TSA Cares that may have helpful resources for you, or you could request the service of a specially trained TSA passenger support specialist who can help you through your security screening. You’ll need to arrange this at least 72 hours from your departure by calling TSA Cares at 855-787-2227.
As far as your curling iron goes, Farbstein said that if it is routinely getting flagged, try putting it in a separate bin at security so officers don’t have to dig through your bag to get it out each time.
But, ultimately, you’re going to have to go through security to fly, and Silberstein said your experience will really depend on the agent you get that day. Some may be well versed in your rights as a disabled traveler; some will not. His advice is to be as friendly as possible to agents, to be patient and to get to the airport early, because screenings can “take forever,” even if you’re being as cooperative as you can.
“I love traveling, and I will not stop traveling, … but every time I have to pass through security, it sucks,” he said. “It’s uncomfortable, and I hope that someday technology will allow us to have a similar experience to the rest of travelers or to make it a more dignifying experience.”
My personal commentary for Alinker users, or anyone with any mobility aid: Always be kind and respectful, but firm. If you are using an aid that is unusual, new and not the typical device, always mention that is it a new type of device and that it is your mobility aid. Remember in the US, no one is allowed to ask you what your disability is. Laws outside of the US may be different, but typically it is not asked. Hopefully this information is helpful to you. Please sign up for my newsletter for more blog posts. And don't forget to follow me on all my social media platforms for the latest!
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