Photo Courtesy of Hand In Hand/ Shayan Asgharnia
Engracia Figueroa, a disability activist, died on October 31 from serious injuries she sustained after United Airlines destroyed her custom wheelchair.
Figueroa was an employee with Hand in Hand, which is a company that stands up for domestic workers rights, and was traveling back from Washington D.C. with her friend Christine Lang, after she gave a speech at the Can’t-Wait rally in support of home care system rights, according to the company’s website.
Once she landed, she was surprised to see that United Airlines had destroyed her $30,000 custom wheelchair while it passed through cargo, which forced her to use a traditional wheelchair while she flew on the 5-hour long ride.
Figueroa struggled to keep her balance throughout that length of time in the broken wheelchair, which led her to develop a pressure sore. When she finally got back home, she experienced acute pain and was later admitted to the hospital shortly after.
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“Mobility devices are an extension of our bodies. When they are damaged or
destroyed, we become re-disabled. Until the airlines learn how to treat our devices with the care and respect they deserve, flying remains inaccessible,” Figueroa said in several interviews, Newsweek reported.Figueroa’s wheelchair was designed to support her spinal cord injury and left leg amputation. The mobility device was essential to her independence and to maintaining her health. United Airlines said they would not replace Figueroa’s wheelchair after the incident and said it could be repaired, but Figueroa continued to fight for the company to do the right thing.
United Airlines ultimately agreed to replace Figueroa’s chair, but during her legal disputes with the airline, Figueroa had to use a loaner chair which was not suitable for her disabilities. The chair further exacerbated her pressure sore which caused it to get infected. Figueroa died from complications from emergency surgery.
Engracia was a member of Hand in Hand’s California chapter, active with the Long Term Care and Support Services for All Coalition, and a Home and Community Based Services Storytelling Fellow, amongst other organizations.