{"id":4601,"date":"2025-10-01T16:16:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2025-10-17T16:08:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T05:08:19","slug":"melba-response-to-virgin-australia-refusing-wheelchair-access-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/melba-response-to-virgin-australia-refusing-wheelchair-access-twice\/","title":{"rendered":"Melba response to Virgin Australia refusing wheelchair access &#8211; twice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"block--custom-layout block_32a8033eedf5adb1483a21b713981c32 custom-wysiwyg blog-wysiwyg\" >\r\n        \r\n        <p><strong>Statement from CEO Hayley Dean in response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewdaily.com.au\/news\/people\/2025\/10\/01\/disability-advocates-virgin-australia\">reports<\/a> Virgin Australia recently refused, in separate incidents, to allow two people using wheelchairs to board its aircraft at Melbourne Airport.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stories like these are deeply disappointing, but sadly, they are not surprising. Too often, people with disability encounter barriers that should no longer exist \u2013 barriers that exclude, frustrate and send a message that accessibility is optional.<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin has said it \u201cregrets these experiences\u201d, but regret is not enough. What <em>actions<\/em> are being taken to ensure this never happens again?<\/p>\n<p>Accessibility is not an act of goodwill \u2013 it\u2019s a human right. Every person deserves to travel, participate and move through the world without being excluded or humiliated.<\/p>\n<p>When systems and services fail to meet the needs of people with disability, it\u2019s not an individual issue, it\u2019s a systemic one and this is why listening to people with lived experience is critical. Airlines and other service providers must work <em>with<\/em> people with disability to design inclusive policies and practices that work in real life, not just on paper.<\/p>\n<p>Accessibility shouldn\u2019t depend on who\u2019s on duty or what airport you happen to be at that day. It should be consistent, reliable and embedded in everyday practice, not left to chance.<\/p>\n<p>I urge all industries to review their policies, seek advice from people with lived experience and make accessibility a non-negotiable part of how they operate. True equality is not about exceptions, it\u2019s about ensuring everyone belongs, everywhere.<\/p>\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Statement from CEO Hayley Dean in response to reports Virgin Australia recently refused to allow two people using wheelchairs to board its aircraft at Melbourne Airport.\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8220;Accessibility is not an act of goodwill \u2013 it\u2019s a human right,&#8221; she says. &#8220;Every person deserves to travel without being excluded or humiliated.&#8221; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":4612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Melba response to Virgin Australia refusing wheelchair access - twice | Melba Support Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Statement from CEO Hayley Dean in response to reports Virgin Australia recently refused to allow two people using wheelchairs to board its aircraft at Melbourne Airport.\u00a0 &quot;Accessibility is not an act of goodwill \u2013 it\u2019s a human right,&quot; she says. &quot;Every person deserves to travel without 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Southward","author_link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/author\/emma-southwardmelbasupport-com-au\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/category\/latest-news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Latest News<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Statement from CEO Hayley Dean in response to reports Virgin Australia recently refused to allow two people using wheelchairs to board its aircraft at Melbourne Airport.\u00a0 \"Accessibility is not an act of goodwill \u2013 it\u2019s a human right,\" she says. \"Every person deserves to travel without being excluded or 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