Ready for Take Off: Mission for Accessible Air Travel & Disability Advocacy, with Mindy Henderson

[00:00:03] I'm Effie Parks. Welcome to Once Upon A Gene, the podcast. This is a place I created for us to connect and share the stories of our not-so-typical lives. Raising kids who are born with rare genetic syndromes and other types of disabilities can feel pretty isolating. What I know for sure is that when we can hear the triumphs and challenges from others who get it, we can find a lot more laughter, a lot more hope, and feel a lot less alone.

[00:00:31] I believe there are some magical healing powers that can happen for all of us through sharing our stories, and I'll take all the help I can get.

[00:00:43] Once Upon A Gene is proud to be part of Bloodstream Media. Living in a family affected by rare and chronic illness can be isolating, and sometimes the best medicine is connecting to the voices of people who share your experience.

[00:00:56] This is why Bloodstream Media produces podcasts, blogs, and other forms of content for patients, families, and clinicians impacted by rare and chronic diseases. Visit BloodstreamMedia.com to learn more.

[00:01:09] Well, hello. I'm so glad you made it here. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast. I'm Effie Parks, and I am so happy today. The sun is out here in Seattle, and if you know me, you know that is my happy place. It's hard for me this time of year for lots of reasons, as I'm sure it is

[00:01:26] for you with all the holidays coming up, but I have to tell you, I'm feeling energized. I'm feeling hopeful. I'm loving the air on social media over the last couple weeks.

[00:01:36] Something is shifting, my friends, and I feel like we're on track to pick ourselves back up a little bit and dust each other off.

[00:01:43] Keep reaching out. Keep sharing your stories. Keep asking for help. Keep receiving help. Just be here and make sure to tell someone thank you and that you love them today.

[00:01:54] And also, I'll make an episode about this and have it just earmarked, but the Once Upon a Gene Wellness Day revival, okay?

[00:02:02] It's happening on January 25th at 12 p.m. Eastern, and it is going to be so fun. It's virtual. It's free. It's not long. It's three hours.

[00:02:13] So you can hopefully get someone to help you with the kids, shut your door, and take a little time for you. We're going to have fun.

[00:02:20] This is going to be light and bright, and we're going to share some useful, accessible, and really, really practical things that you can do to just show up for yourself.

[00:02:31] Remember who you are. Get stronger. Get more clear. Get healthier.

[00:02:35] And we're going to do it together, and there's going to be presents, okay?

[00:02:38] So go to my website, effieparks.com slash events. Sign up. I'll see you there.

[00:02:43] Make sure you follow me on social media and that you follow the newsletter for updates, but especially social media because I'll be posting tidbits and things that are coming up in the agenda.

[00:02:53] On to today. So, so excited to introduce you to my friend. What a beautiful, amazing human being and advocate.

[00:03:03] She's really one of the trailblazers in disability rights. She's the heart behind Muscular Dystrophy Association's Quest Media.

[00:03:11] She's doing so many other projects. She's an author of a book called Things That Suck. Make sure you go and order it.

[00:03:21] She's such a bright voice, and I can't wait for you to meet her.

[00:03:24] And today we're talking about airline travel, which she's a huge part of advocating for with TSA, with the airlines, with policy.

[00:03:32] So she's going to give us some tips about flying and also just kind of update us on the work that they're doing.

[00:03:37] Please enjoy my conversation with Mindy Henderson.

[00:03:41] Hello, Mindy, and welcome to the podcast.

[00:03:45] Hi, thank you so much for having me.

[00:03:47] Yes, I'm so honored to have you. I got to actually meet you in person finally, like, oh my gosh, was it like a year ago?

[00:03:54] You know, I think it was early this year.

[00:03:56] Okay.

[00:03:57] Yeah, I think it was still winter time.

[00:04:00] Yes. Okay, well, we were lucky enough to attend the Women in Rare event, which was so cool.

[00:04:05] And we've been trying to make this work ever since.

[00:04:08] So it's my fault and my schedule.

[00:04:10] No, I'm so excited, and I'm so happy that we did get to meet, and we've gotten to exchange some messages on social media since then.

[00:04:20] So, yeah.

[00:04:21] Me too.

[00:04:22] Well, hey, Mindy, can you give our audience and anyone who doesn't know you yet a little bit about your background and your advocacy journey

[00:04:28] and a little bit about how it's evolved over the last few years?

[00:04:32] Yeah, happy to.

[00:04:33] So, you know, I always kind of say that sort of, you know, a disability is not all of who you are.

[00:04:39] It's a piece of who you are.

[00:04:41] But, you know, at the center of this story, I think, really is my disability.

[00:04:47] I was diagnosed with a condition called spinal muscular atrophy when I was 15 months old, and it is a rare neuromuscular disease.

[00:04:57] And, you know, it's really had, I think, a lot to do with the trajectory of my life and who I've become and the choices that I've made, which have led me in my career to work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as their vice president of disability outreach and empowerment.

[00:05:19] I also have the pleasure to lead a media platform for them, Quest Media, and do a lot of advocacy work side by side with their advocacy team.

[00:05:31] It's kind of the career that I never knew I wanted, and I love it so much.

[00:05:38] I get to wake up every morning and just love what I do.

[00:05:42] I had a 20-year career in high tech that I didn't love nearly as much as this work or get nearly as much from it.

[00:05:51] And so this is where I am and what I spend my time doing now.

[00:05:56] So cool.

[00:05:57] And shout out to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

[00:06:00] Thank you.

[00:06:01] They're super lucky to have you.

[00:06:02] Oh, so nice.

[00:06:04] I, you know, we could argue about who the lucky one is.

[00:06:08] They've been part of my life my whole life, and it was sort of a crazy full circle moment when I got to go to work for them, and it's just a match made in heaven.

[00:06:19] Well, we could talk about so many aspects of what you've done throughout your career, whether it's Muscular Dystrophy or SMA or your book.

[00:06:28] Like, we'll definitely plug that in the end, but today we're actually going to just really try to laser focus on one super important initiative that you've been working on, and it's accessible air travel.

[00:06:41] Okay?

[00:06:41] So we might have Mindy on again for all of the other magical stuff that she provides our community as a patient and as an expert, but today we're going to talk about air travel, which we know is a huge, huge, huge pain point and giant gaping hole.

[00:06:55] Well, you're obviously a superpower advocate, right, for making air travel more accessible, for people who use wheelchairs especially.

[00:07:03] Curious to know what progress you've seen.

[00:07:06] Yeah.

[00:07:07] And what are sort of the biggest hurdles that need to be addressed?

[00:07:12] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:07:13] It's an absolute passion project of mine and is something that I've spent a few years working on, and to your point, it's such a pain point.

[00:07:24] In fact, up until about a year and a half ago, I actually had not flown on an airplane for 14 or 15 years because of all of the problems that I think this community is probably painfully aware of.

[00:07:42] As a wheelchair user in particular, but certainly anyone with a disability, air travel is less than ideal.

[00:07:50] If you have to use a wheelchair and you don't stand or walk, there are manual transfers that have to happen, being lifted by strangers.

[00:08:00] Our wheelchairs have become so sophisticated and so expensive, and air travel is the only mode of transportation left in this country where you have to be separated from your mobility device.

[00:08:14] And so, you know, for all of these reasons, I didn't fly for, like I said, about 14 or 15 years.

[00:08:22] And I know that there are a lot of people out there who are not currently traveling and living the way that they want to and seeing the places they want to see.

[00:08:34] And it's so wrong.

[00:08:36] I think that there are just a lot of people who don't know what people with disabilities still face when they go and try to get on an airplane.

[00:08:45] And so, you know, we have seen progress in the last, this past year, which has been very exciting.

[00:08:53] As it turned out, the FAA had to be reauthorized.

[00:08:58] It was set to be reauthorized last year, and there were some extensions that happened.

[00:09:03] So it was actually this year when that happened.

[00:09:06] But people may not know that the FAA itself has to be reauthorized every five years or airplanes don't fly.

[00:09:15] And so it's a really big deal.

[00:09:17] And what it did was provided us in this community a really great opportunity to lobby for language to get into that reauthorization bill that spoke to the needs of people with disabilities.

[00:09:33] And so there are a lot of things that made it into that bill that the way I like to put it is it sort of laid the groundwork for what needs to happen over the next five years now so that when the FAA has to be reauthorized again,

[00:09:54] they can hopefully actually mandate wheelchair spots on airplanes so that you can just drive your wheelchair onto an airplane like you could a city bus or a car or a train, anything else.

[00:10:09] Things like economic feasibility studies and the remaining crash testing for engineering and safety purposes.

[00:10:17] All of that made it into this FAA reauthorization bill.

[00:10:22] And actually it put a timeline to getting wheelchair spots on airplanes, which is super exciting.

[00:10:30] Very cool.

[00:10:31] What changed in the last while that got you back on a plane after 15 years?

[00:10:36] Honestly, it was working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

[00:10:40] I was invited by our advocacy team to join them on Capitol Hill.

[00:10:46] I live in Austin, Texas.

[00:10:47] And so they invited me to go with them to a hill day to advocate for accessible air travel.

[00:10:54] And honestly, that was probably the only thing that would have gotten me back on an airplane.

[00:11:00] So it was this kind of kismet, I think, that, you know, sort of the perfect alignment of stars and planets that got me back on an airplane.

[00:11:09] And it was awful and it was wonderful because I was disillusioned to see that it was even worse than I remembered from the last time I had flown years and years before.

[00:11:23] You know, just the loss of dignity and control that you experience when you have to go get on a plane.

[00:11:30] And so that was very hard.

[00:11:32] And I'm not going to lie.

[00:11:33] I cried in lawmakers' offices telling them about my experiences getting to Washington, D.C.

[00:11:40] But it also really reminded me of what I'm missing out on.

[00:11:47] And I've given up jobs where I couldn't travel or meet the travel requirements that the jobs dictated.

[00:11:54] Like I said before, there are tons of places that I'm not seeing that I just want to go and experience.

[00:12:01] It was this really great eye-opening experience.

[00:12:04] And honestly, I haven't been able to stay off of an airplane ever since then.

[00:12:09] It hasn't really gotten easier.

[00:12:11] But I definitely learned to navigate the system.

[00:12:14] And I think I've probably flown in the last year and a half.

[00:12:20] I've probably been on an airplane 13 or 15 times just in the last year or so.

[00:12:27] I love that so much.

[00:12:29] Again, I think there's a whole other podcast about sort of this aha moment you had.

[00:12:34] Yeah.

[00:12:35] And it really sounds like you just needed sort of that encouragement and that trust and that opportunity

[00:12:40] that the MDA Association offered you to just sort of pull the trigger and do it.

[00:12:46] Yeah, it's true.

[00:12:47] And, you know, don't get me wrong, it has not been perfect.

[00:12:50] I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities that MDA gives me in my job to continue now to travel as part of my work.

[00:12:59] But I've been injured getting on airplanes.

[00:13:02] I've sprained a couple of ankles in manual transfers.

[00:13:06] My chair has been damaged and all sorts of things that just, you know, it's sad to say, but it comes with the territory.

[00:13:13] If you travel as a wheelchair user.

[00:13:16] And I've decided that the opportunities kind of outweigh the risks at this point.

[00:13:21] I know that there are other people who have suffered much, much greater consequences than I have in getting on airplanes and going through these processes.

[00:13:31] So I've been luckier than a lot of people, I know.

[00:13:35] But I'm just, I'm not willing to sit back at home anymore and not live the life I want to live.

[00:13:43] Oh my gosh, I'm smiling for you.

[00:13:45] Oh, thank you.

[00:13:46] I'm so sorry about your ankle and all of the mismanagement of your body and of your feelings and of your chair.

[00:13:56] It's so wrong and it's so frustrating.

[00:14:00] And it's such a vulnerable moment.

[00:14:02] I can imagine just as a parent, even for me with Ford on a plane, it's such a vulnerable moment for me.

[00:14:07] Yeah.

[00:14:08] But imagining this being, you know, an adult who has no sort of IDD and is very aware of the situation that it really leaves you questioning a lot of things and can really maybe even stop you from flying again and going back to that place where you didn't fly for 15 years.

[00:14:25] Because there are lots of hard things that you deal with, obviously.

[00:14:29] You did mention that you've learned how to navigate things a little better.

[00:14:32] Do you have any hot tips about things that you've learned from all of these disgraces of ways that people can sort of navigate it also on their own?

[00:14:41] I definitely do.

[00:14:42] And I've kind of got it down to a science at this point.

[00:14:46] But I go into a travel day not making any assumptions about what any of the airline personnel knows or doesn't know.

[00:14:56] And so you really, truly have to be your greatest advocate.

[00:15:01] And I'm just going to say, you have to be a little bit pushy.

[00:15:05] Because, for example, I go to the baggage check desk every single time when I first get to the airport, whether I have baggage to check or not, because your wheelchair or whatever mobility device you have has to be checked down below with the luggage.

[00:15:24] And so I make sure that the person that I'm speaking to knows that at the next stop downstream in this process, when I get to the gate, I'm going to need an aisle chair to help me transfer.

[00:15:40] I tell them how many people I'm going to want to help me transfer.

[00:15:45] I am even so pushy as to tell them, you know, if there's someone who's particularly tall and strong, because you have to be able to lean over a wheelchair and lift an adult-sized person up over the armrest.

[00:16:03] And so I, you know, really make sure to tell people what I am going to need in painstaking detail.

[00:16:11] And even if they don't understand it when I'm asking for it, I try to impress upon them how important every little detail is that I'm telling them.

[00:16:22] And then they see it unfold and they understand it.

[00:16:25] And they're like, oh, this is why you wanted someone that was seven feet tall.

[00:16:29] And, you know, it really clicks for them and they get it together.

[00:16:33] I have found, you know, I use a power wheelchair with a joystick and I've found these great, you can find them online.

[00:16:42] And they're these sort of self-adhesive bubble wrap baggies that almost fits like a sleeve over a joystick.

[00:16:52] And I pack four or five of them onto my joystick and then you just kind of squish them together and they adhere to themselves like plastic wrap might.

[00:17:04] And so that protects my joystick and those electronics.

[00:17:08] I get to the airport three hours ahead of time, even if I'm just flying domestic.

[00:17:13] I just don't want there to be any surprises and you truly never know when you're flying with a disability, what's going to crop up and try to get in the way.

[00:17:25] And, you know, having extra time to read at the gate or grab something to eat is not a bad deal.

[00:17:31] So I'm willing to make that compromise.

[00:17:32] The other thing is there's a service called TSA Cares that can help you get through TSA lines.

[00:17:42] You just give them a call 24 hours in advance, let them know that you're coming through and what kind of assistance you need.

[00:17:49] And it's not a perfect science, but they've made huge progress.

[00:17:54] And a lot of times it's made the process going through TSA more smooth for me, you know, and then I'll always just throw out there that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

[00:18:06] And we should all be incensed.

[00:18:09] But what I've found is most of the people that you come across in TSA who are doing the pat downs, most of the people that you come across on the airlines that are helping you through those steps of the journey, this is not their fault.

[00:18:27] You know, and no one asked involved them in the decision making of how this was going to go.

[00:18:33] And more often than not, I can tell that the people who are helping me feel really bad about, you know, the hoops that we have to jump through and all of that.

[00:18:45] And so I really try to be ultra respectful and as friendly and kind to those individuals as I can.

[00:18:55] And that, I think, gets me farther than other approaches might.

[00:19:00] You sound just like my husband.

[00:19:01] I'm glad I travel with him.

[00:19:03] No, no, yes.

[00:19:04] So much yes about TSA Cares.

[00:19:06] Yeah.

[00:19:07] We've only been so, so warmed by them and they've been so respectful, just all of the things you said.

[00:19:14] I probably would have been arrested by like port police if TSA Cares didn't exist one or two times.

[00:19:20] But yeah, really great.

[00:19:22] And yeah, I think to families like ours have definitely been well versed in the matter of knowing who the people are that are helping you and also respecting that we're all doing something.

[00:19:33] And that it is better even just for our stress state to remain as calm and as kind as possible.

[00:19:41] Yes.

[00:19:42] Because most people obviously have the best of intentions and they're trying and sometimes they just don't know.

[00:19:48] A hundred percent.

[00:19:49] And that's, again, you know, not at the expense of your safety or comfort.

[00:19:55] You know, I'm still very assertive.

[00:19:57] And, you know, I definitely advocate for what I need.

[00:20:01] You know, you can do that with a smile on your face.

[00:20:04] Well, I think we should make a like a PDF.

[00:20:08] Maybe write down a bunch of these hot tips for navigating it and families can download it and bring it with them.

[00:20:12] Even in the moment, especially when you're tired and you're stressed and you're traveling with kids.

[00:20:16] You may not request the right things or have it all sort of organized when you're sort of in the moment.

[00:20:23] So maybe having a checklist for families to bring to the airport would be great.

[00:20:26] If you could help me with that, we'll have that come out too.

[00:20:29] Yeah.

[00:20:29] If I could make a shameless plug again for Quest Media, it's mdaquest.org.

[00:20:35] We have done so many articles and podcasts on travel.

[00:20:41] And I have spoken to people who are way smarter than I am and have such great tips and tricks.

[00:20:50] I could never list them all here with you today.

[00:20:54] But there's tons of information that I'm really proud of that I think people could also find there.

[00:21:01] Awesome.

[00:21:01] Well, I want to kind of go back to the airplane themselves if we can.

[00:21:05] Yeah.

[00:21:06] Obviously, we need a more inclusive and universal design.

[00:21:09] So how much is it that you have to advocate with airlines themselves, but also the people building our airplanes?

[00:21:16] And when you put forward all this advocacy with this bill that you're speaking of that only has the opportunity to have that happen every five years,

[00:21:23] was it also making sure that we could take our own wheelchairs and have sort of that independence?

[00:21:28] And also maybe was bathroom stuff involved?

[00:21:31] It is.

[00:21:33] And in fact, just recently, the Department of Transportation has been a big proponent of accessible air travel.

[00:21:41] And they recently mandated that single aisle airplanes do now have to have accessible bathrooms.

[00:21:52] Again, this is, you know, if you're someone like me who can't stand or walk, an accessible bathroom doesn't help me a whole lot if I can't get to it.

[00:22:02] So, you know, there are still problems.

[00:22:05] But for people who can get to the restroom, airplanes, as they are being retrofitted and new airplanes are being put out into fleets,

[00:22:17] they are supposed to have accessible bathrooms.

[00:22:21] So that is another little piece of progress that's been made.

[00:22:26] There's so much about airplane design that needs to be improved.

[00:22:32] Another little tip that I'll let you know.

[00:22:34] I try to get, of course, as close to the front of the airplane as possible.

[00:22:41] And so when I do, you know, so often you have to pick your feet when you book your tickets.

[00:22:47] And you can't always get as close to the front of the airplane.

[00:22:52] But sometimes on the day of, if you ask nicely and talk to the people, either at the baggage check-in point or at the gate,

[00:23:01] sometimes they can make some magic happen and move you to the front of the airplane.

[00:23:05] It's usually, though, the front row of the airplane doesn't have an armrest that can be flipped back to make your transfer easier.

[00:23:17] And so I have never gotten closer to the front of the plane than row two.

[00:23:23] I don't know why that is or why it's designed that way.

[00:23:26] I'm on the board of an organization called All Wheels Up.

[00:23:29] And they are this brilliant little, like, engine that could.

[00:23:36] Nonprofit.

[00:23:37] They actually have no employees.

[00:23:40] It's a volunteer-led organization.

[00:23:43] Their CEO is even a volunteer.

[00:23:45] She's a mom with a disabled son who flew with her son one day and was like, well, this has got to change.

[00:23:53] And she started this nonprofit.

[00:23:55] And she has built out just the most amazing network of people from Boeing and Airbus, not all of the airlines, but most of the airlines, people overseas,

[00:24:10] different people who are involved in different pieces of the air travel experience besides airlines and aircraft manufacturers.

[00:24:22] And she has really gotten people to care.

[00:24:27] And I've met people from Boeing and Airbus all the way down to every part of air travel you could want to know about.

[00:24:36] And there are definitely people at every step along the way who are working on trying to help solve this problem and really appreciate, I think, what people with disabilities are still putting up with.

[00:24:52] And they're working together.

[00:24:54] I went to a conference earlier this year where I helped moderate some conversations at a panel that Airbus and Boeing hosted together, which is kind of a first-of-its-kind thing, you know, being competitors, of course.

[00:25:12] I think that that is just a really good example of how hard people are trying to work together.

[00:25:20] It's, I think, a more complicated engineering problem to solve and such a regulated industry that, you know, people, I myself, I had no idea how big a problem this was to solve and all of the moving parts that have to be considered.

[00:25:38] But we're getting so close.

[00:25:40] It really, truly is exciting.

[00:25:43] I have nothing but hope to offer.

[00:25:46] I love that so much.

[00:25:47] It's so relieving.

[00:25:48] And I love all those conversations of collaboration that are happening.

[00:25:52] It's so hopeful.

[00:25:53] And it really is exciting to hear the perspective from someone like you especially that the future is bright and that it's not just another thing that is just going to be this continuous battle of denials and you're not worth it kind of feeling.

[00:26:07] It really is.

[00:26:08] And, you know, it's still not going to be a fast fix.

[00:26:12] But I think that, you know, in the span of the next five years, I think we're going to continue to see progress.

[00:26:18] I think we're going to see mandated improvements to training for any personnel that comes into contact with a person with a disability who is traveling by air.

[00:26:31] And in fact, just like a week or two weeks ago, the Department of Transportation also imposed a record-breaking fine on American Airlines.

[00:26:45] $50 million fine for the treatment of individuals living with disabilities, which is, I think the statistic that I heard is that that's like 20 times higher than any other fine that's ever been imposed before.

[00:27:03] So people are taking this very, very seriously.

[00:27:06] And it's getting a lot of attention, which is thanks a lot in part to the people, you know, just observers out there.

[00:27:16] People who are seeing and hearing things and standing up with the disability community and saying, this isn't right and we're not going to stand for it anymore.

[00:27:27] Yes, I was going to ask you about that also.

[00:27:30] I'm happy that these things are being addressed and that people are being held accountable.

[00:27:34] Not super excited necessarily that it's American Airlines because I know they have very, very deep ties to the rare disease community.

[00:27:40] So it's kind of like a yay and all that sucks.

[00:27:43] Yeah, I know.

[00:27:44] I know.

[00:27:45] And they do so much other great work.

[00:27:48] You know, it's a shame that they were the first one because I also know that there are other airlines that are, you know, they've got things going through the courts right now.

[00:28:00] And so they're not, I don't think, going to be singled out as the only ones.

[00:28:07] Yeah.

[00:28:07] Not to get this totally off track, but there's a really wonderful book, and I'm sure you've read it, called Every Day is a Gift by Tammy Duckworth, who's a veteran.

[00:28:16] She was born in, like, Thailand.

[00:28:18] She moved here and became disabled from the war and was, like, a huge airline advocate for a while.

[00:28:24] And I'm not sure if she's still in office, but everyone should read that book.

[00:28:28] It's so beautiful.

[00:28:28] But I'm wondering, is she on board still and helping with this effort with airline travel?

[00:28:33] A hundred percent.

[00:28:34] I love Tammy Duckworth.

[00:28:37] I have the absolute honor.

[00:28:39] She is in office, and I had the pleasure to shake her hand and meet her also earlier this year.

[00:28:46] And she has been one of the biggest champions for accessible air travel.

[00:28:52] The work that she has done is absolutely unmatched, and I kind of want to be her when I grow up.

[00:29:00] Well, you kind of are.

[00:29:01] You're both amazing.

[00:29:02] Yeah.

[00:29:03] Her book, you guys seriously read this book.

[00:29:05] Her perspective is just profound, and I think you will really, really, really relate to it as rare disease members.

[00:29:11] How can our friends and listeners get involved in pushing for accessible air travel, Mindy?

[00:29:17] How can they help better the policies?

[00:29:18] And also not just in the land of policy, how can they help?

[00:29:21] Yeah, it's a great question.

[00:29:23] Honestly, I would love to connect with anyone on LinkedIn who is interested.

[00:29:29] I am constantly posting information and things that I'm learning and ways for people to get involved.

[00:29:38] You can also go to MDA's website.

[00:29:41] We have a grassroots advocacy group that people can sign up and be a part of,

[00:29:48] and you'll get information pushed out directly from that team about efforts that they're working on in the area of air travel and ways,

[00:29:59] you know, opportunities for the community to get involved.

[00:30:03] So those are a couple of things.

[00:30:06] You know, the other thing that I would say is things really do start at the local level,

[00:30:13] and I think a lot of times it can be undersold, the importance of, you know, getting involved in your city and in your state and those sorts of things.

[00:30:24] You know, we've got airports that exist in our cities, and so we do have government officials that are listening at the local level.

[00:30:34] I was certainly guilty of it myself until I started doing this work and really learned how important the local pieces of things are.

[00:30:43] So, you know, get to know your city council, get to know your local officials, and they work for us.

[00:30:50] Don't be shy about calling them or sending an email.

[00:30:53] They really do read everything that comes through,

[00:30:57] and your voice is a lot more powerful than I think a lot of us maybe believe that it is.

[00:31:05] Awesome.

[00:31:06] And then any ideas on things outside of policy for people who have different gifts?

[00:31:11] That's a good, good question.

[00:31:13] I would say, you know, if you are,

[00:31:16] that's kind of how I got started in all of this work is,

[00:31:23] as a person living my life with a disability,

[00:31:25] I started just talking on social media about things that were hard for me

[00:31:33] and the way that I was navigating through things and things that I was finding out,

[00:31:39] and it almost becomes this sort of trail of breadcrumbs that you can follow.

[00:31:45] And when you start to have conversations like those,

[00:31:50] it's amazing the people who come out of the woodwork and engage with you and want to join forces with you

[00:31:58] and help make things better.

[00:32:01] So you're saying to tell your story.

[00:32:03] I love it.

[00:32:05] Yes.

[00:32:06] One last question before I let you go back to work, Mindy.

[00:32:08] For the families I know and love who are listening to this,

[00:32:13] who are too stressed out or afraid to get on an airplane with their child

[00:32:18] and who probably have felt like they have been missing out big time and that they are trapped,

[00:32:25] what would you say to them?

[00:32:27] Oh, it makes my heart sad.

[00:32:30] I think I would say I understand.

[00:32:33] And I have been there.

[00:32:35] And I think that truly all of us have to decide for ourselves what feels good and what feels right.

[00:32:45] And you don't have to push yourself to go and get on an airplane right now

[00:32:51] if that isn't comfortable for you.

[00:32:54] Look at other options, other alternatives.

[00:32:56] You know, it breaks my heart to hear people who are not doing the things they want to do in life

[00:33:03] because of this problem.

[00:33:06] But look into train travel.

[00:33:08] Look into, you know, accessible cars that you can rent, things like that,

[00:33:14] and get creative so that you can do what you want to do as an individual or as a family.

[00:33:21] But, you know, the other thing that I'll say is while I'm saying

[00:33:25] don't push yourself to do something you're not ready to do or that you don't feel good about,

[00:33:31] you know, sometimes I think we can also build up in our minds a lot of anxiety and fear

[00:33:41] that's never going to come true.

[00:33:44] And what I can personally say is that any problem I've had on the road while traveling,

[00:33:52] I've never not been able to figure it out or find a solution.

[00:33:58] And so if you want to and you can go into it just with an open mind and an open heart

[00:34:06] and know that it's probably not going to be perfect, but that the payoff might be worth it,

[00:34:12] that's the approach that I would recommend if you are going to step out into air travel

[00:34:20] after a bit of a hiatus.

[00:34:23] Oh my gosh.

[00:34:24] Thank you so much for that relatable and just amazing wisdom.

[00:34:29] Mindy, really thankful.

[00:34:31] Thank you.

[00:34:31] Well, tell everyone where they can find you, how they can follow along.

[00:34:36] I'll add all of your links that you mentioned today in our conversation in the show notes,

[00:34:41] but leave any plugs that you want to leave and close us out.

[00:34:45] Yeah.

[00:34:46] Thank you so much.

[00:34:47] So the best way, honestly, to connect with me is probably LinkedIn.

[00:34:51] I'm just Mindy Henderson on LinkedIn.

[00:34:54] I work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

[00:34:56] So that's how you can find me and connect with me.

[00:34:59] I do also have a book called The Truth About Things That Suck,

[00:35:03] which is really just a book about mindset and the different things in life that I think can be sort of universal challenges,

[00:35:12] disability or not.

[00:35:13] You can find that book any place you can find books.

[00:35:17] So yeah, those are the couple of things I'd love to just throw out there.

[00:35:21] And I'm always excited to hear from people.

[00:35:25] If you have questions or just want to connect and say hi, I hope that you will.

[00:35:30] My gosh, don't you just love Mindy?

[00:35:32] She's the best and she has made so many resources.

[00:35:35] And Mindy, thank you so much for your positivity and just shining bright lights everywhere you roll.

[00:35:40] I appreciate you so much and I'm so thankful for you.

[00:35:43] I think you're going to get a lot of responses because you speak directly to people's hearts and you are helping to change the future for kids like mine.

[00:35:52] So thank you so much.

[00:35:54] Thank you so much.

[00:35:55] And I can say the same to you.

[00:35:56] You're amazing, Effie.

[00:35:57] And I love knowing you and you are changing the world.

[00:36:02] You're an absolute force to be reckoned with.

[00:36:04] And I adore you.

[00:36:06] Thanks, Mindy.

[00:36:07] I hope you've been enjoying this podcast.

[00:36:10] If you like what you hear, please share this show with your people.

[00:36:14] And please make sure to rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:36:19] You can also head over to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to connect with me and stay updated on the show.

[00:36:25] If you're interested in sharing your story or if you have anything you would like to contribute, please submit it to my website at effieparks.com.

[00:36:33] Thank you so much for listening to the show and for supporting me along the way.

[00:36:37] I appreciate you all so much.

[00:36:39] I don't know what kind of day you're having, but if you need a little pick me up, Ford's got you.