Reference no: EM133152818

Internal Information Message: Damaged Wheelchair Leads to Death

In July 2021, Engracia Figueroa, a disability activist, and wheelchair user returned from a disability-rights rally in Washington, DC on a United Airlines flight. When she arrived in Los Angeles, she found her $30,000 motorized wheelchair, customized to support her damaged spine and amputated leg, had been heavily damaged. She spent five hours sitting in an airport-supplied, broken, standard wheelchair trying to resolve the situation. Those five hours caused a pressure sore on one of Ms. Figueroa's hips. She was admitted to the hospital shortly after arriving in Los Angeles as a result.

The Airline Carrier Access Act requires airlines to repair or replace lost or damaged mobility assistance equipment. Repairing the wheelchair is not a viable option, according to the Hand in Hand organization, since such repairs to a motorized chair may result in fire. Although United Airlines argued that a repair should be sufficient, several months later United finally decided to replace the chair.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, Ms. Figueroa's health continued to decline after her initial hospitalization. She was able to borrow a wheelchair that was not adequate for her specialized needs while she waited for United's decision, but the pressure sore that she developed following her stay in the broken airport chair grew worse over the months, eventually becoming infected. The infection spread to her hip bone. She died of complications from the bone infection shortly afterward.

Ironically, Ms. Figueroa's chair had been damaged three times (it is not clear which airlines were responsible) before the United Airlines incident. She had been campaigning for airlines to adopt new policies to address issues surrounding the transport of wheelchairs before the incident that ultimately took her life.

Adapted from Brooks, L. (November 8, 2021), Disability advocate Engracia Figueroa died after an airline damaged her wheelchair, Forbes, retrieved from https://bit.ly/3qmezkZ

Your Task

You work in the Health and Safety unit for United Airlines. Understanding that the airline may suffer from the fallout of this story, you've been tasked with communicating to the cargo-loading team regarding loading mobility assistance technologies, particularly motorized wheelchairs. In a correctly formatted memo, explain to the loaders that assistance technologies must be handled with care while protecting United Airlines' integrity.

Expected Student Outcomes

Students will craft an appropriately formatted and worded informational business message and effectively revise sentences with stylistic problems. Successful documents will provide detail and proper tone; remember that the emphasis should be on continuing a positive relationship with your employees. Keep in mind that an overly short, curt message is not desirable.