My orthopedic guy, who removed a bunch of bone chips/spurs from my arthritic elbow, was kind enough to fill out the medical need part of the special permit application so I can legally hunt with a crossbow in Massachusetts.

What are you hunting? Squirrels can be rather tasty I am told

Grrr....:swear:

You are probably correct: I understand that official-looking "Service Dog" sweaters can be purchased online with no authorization required. Highly unfair to the real service dogs and their owners.

So not everybody who Uses a wheelchair at an airport needs one full-time. My mom uses I wheelchair to get to the airport strictly because she cannot get to one in from the other walking. She’s more than capable of walking 50 feet but not a couple miles from one end of the airport to the other. It doesn’t mean she’s faking it to get in the front of the line she just needs help. And not everybody who is handicap has a physical element that is physically visible from the outside. And yes you will always have somebody taking advantage of a situation. I heard you can even rent a handicap person to go to the theme parks cost you a couple hundred bucks +3rd ticket but you get to go to the front of the line all the time because of the handicap access at least you used to be able to a few years ago.

It's great that your mom can get out and travel, and only needs assistance in a wheelchair for the long distances within the airport.
That being said, may we all assume that once she gets to the gate she loses the wheelchair and gets in the regular boarding line?????

It’s a jungle out there…..it’s a gift and a curse…..monk hates airplanes…

We haven't traveled in 4 years due to health issues, then adding the Covid thing. We opted to not travel this summer mostly because of the "if-y" of air-lines cancelling flights, the expense and much/much more. Probably six years ago or so, I began to utilize the wheelchair service in airports....because I have mobility issues. If you saw me just sitting in a chair or whatever you might think, "they don't 'look' handicapped!" But I'd challenge anyone to follow me around for just a day or so---and maybe you'd change that. Unless you walk in someone's shoes, don't judge!! The last time we traveled---4 years ago, we'd signed up for this service. Typically you'd be met curb-side with a chair. Someone would assist with the luggage. Well, 4 years ago---nada, nothing!! My S.O. had to do a search for a chair and we struggled getting the 2 suitcases and the chair. Noone jumped to help--NOT ONE!! I saw a lot of employees from the curb to the boarding desk. Maybe now it's due to a lack of help....I don't know. We'd decided it just isn't worth it to put ourselves through that stress again. Do people abuse services? Most likely!! That's a sad commentary to how low our culture is sinking. For people like me, or in worse shape, we're the ones affected.

***** When doing the wheelchair you do get a "preferrential treatment". Boarding first but also told to go to the rear of the plane. THEN we were last to get off so didn't do "sprints" as someone indicated on here. IF I could....I'm too old to sprint but having my health issues, makes it a moot subject too.

Deer

I use a wheelchair . Never a problem . If they need help , hire a driver, they will carry the bags . Simple solution.

And let’s not for get the every shrinking leg and seat room. I remember flying with my dad back in the late 70s He was 6’4” and I 6’7”. Plenty of leg room, oh and my to mention the flight from Rochester, NY to Tampa included an actual hot meal. This was in Coach also. Airlines are jus a big money grab. They say they are in compliance, being able to off load passengers in a certain amount of time is all the need to comply with. They’d have us all standing if they thought they could get away with it.

Some people are quite ingenious.

Some years back my wife and I were in Thailand. One day when riding the skytrain we saw a young girl with a baby lying in the grass adjacent to the station where we got off. The woman was Lao but Lao and Thai are mutually understandable and My wife who was born and raised in Thailand was able to converse with her. The girl had a jar for money next to her: she was unfortunately crippled from a car accident and was raising money so she and her baby could get back to Isaan. It was a pretty sad story. I gave her 100 baht. We went and did a few things, returning to the station about an hour later to find the girl and the baby gone. We asked a skytrain guard about it; he laughed and said that the girl was there every morning for a couple of hours, dropped off and picked up by her boyfriend. The baby, however, was different every day.

Turns out there are places in Bangkok where you can actually rent babies for just this scam!

That is SICK!!! There was a time I wouldn't have believed that, but I do believe it.
My husband is in a wheelchair. Even before he was I couldn't have imagined doing something like this. Or parking in handicapped parking spots, but that's another topic. I'm sorry this is happening to your son and daughter in law.

This is a brilliant idea, which is exactly why it wouldn't fly.

“DisabilityAct”
 

I wouldn’t say “so much for the Disability Act” but would say so much for society! Shameful!