Tim Kubash has used a wheelchair since a tractor accident on a golf course in the spring of 2021. He has faced plenty of barriers, but none more poignant — and ironic — than last weekend, when the Salmon Arm resident was trying to fly out of Victoria International Airport after giving a presentation about workplace barriers for people with disabilities.
Kubash said he wasn’t allowed to board a WestJet flight home because of the battery in his wheelchair.
It happened on Saturday, which happened to be the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. “I couldn’t believe it … on that day,” said Kubash.
His wheelchair’s gel cell batteries are approved as safe for flying by the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. and listed as such on WestJet’s website, said Kubash.
But the pilot had the final say and he wanted the battery removed, something that has to be done by a technician, said Kubash.
He was sitting on the tarmac waiting to the board the flight when he was told by staff he wouldn’t be flying that day.
Kubash said he had done everything to ensure his flight home would be stress free, and phoned ahead to say he was in a wheelchair. But when he arrived at YYJ, WestJet staff had no record of a wheelchair and the call to allow him on board was left to the pilot.
The flight to Kelowna left without him and Kubash had to rebook for the following day. Though worried about more snags, he said the airline was accommodating and he made it to Kelowna and eventually home to Salmon Arm.
“It was very disappointing and I was quite upset,” said Kubash. “Travelling for a disabled person is stressful enough, and to have this happen really irked me because you lose a whole day.”
Kubash said the airline reached out and apologized. He said WestJet also paid for his meals, transportation and overnight accommodation.
“I think this should be a learning experience for [WestJet] right down the line,” Kubash said.
He said it’s also a reminder to other companies and organizations that disabled people face challenges almost everywhere they turn — from entry points at buildings and public spaces to sidewalks and curbs.
Kubash, who worked as a golf course superintendent for 35 years, suffered vertebrae fractures after a tractor accident on May 5, 2021.
He was speaking to a work-related conference in Victoria over the weekend about the challenges and barriers faced by disabled people.
Kubash said he’s been inspired by wheelchair athlete and advocate Rick Hansen, who told Kubash “it’s my opportunity to break down barriers.”
dkloster@timescolonist.com
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: letters@timescolonist.com
