When I take a walk in my neighborhood, my white hair, dark glasses, and white cane shout to the world that I am an older blind man. Some passers-by assume that I am lost and ask if I need help. It is true that blind people sometimes need help when using a mobility aid (a white cane or guide dog) to navigate their physical environment. However, once a person becomes proficient at traveling with a mobility aid, they typically need much less help.
At the heart of Darongkamas's dispute with Qantas is whether her scooter is a mobility aid, as she argues, or a personal electronic device, as the airline insisted during a six-month long complaints process. Qantas says it aims to be the airline of choice for customers with specific needs, but Darongkamas says Qantas is the only carrier that hasn't let her fly with her Topmate ES33 scooter and its 281Wh lithium battery.
