Disabled man was 'shamed and yelled' at by a young passenger for pre-boarding flight — he had a powerful response

Patience is something to be exercised in every interaction, more so with people who have disabilities or special conditions. Though they are restricted in movement and understanding, it does not reduce the dignity and respect they deserve. A man who goes by u/Budd311 on Reddit revealed that he was struggling while pre-boarding. To make things worse, a female passenger started shaming him and yelling at him for taking too long. In response, he had a bold and powerful message to share, which people are wholeheartedly applauding. The man was preboarding on a flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Bradley International Airport, Connecticut.

Having suffered a stroke, with only one of his arms working, he needed extra time and hence preboarded, per Newsweek. “We’ve learned that it’s faster and easier for everyone if we preboard and take the time needed to load our luggage overhead without holding up the line,” he wrote. However, the co-passenger started getting frustrated. “As we were preboarding and team-lifting our rollers into the overhead, we heard a woman with a child on her hip talking loudly behind us. Her comments began with, 'Just because you're in First Class doesn't mean you can preboard,’” he recalled. 

The man immediately let her know, “I only have one working arm and need extra time to load our bags.” His wife too, tried to explain that he was handicapped and needed time. “We literally pre-boarded to make things smoother for everyone and I do my best to hide my disability until I have no choice—like lifting a 20lb bag over my head!” he noted. However, the woman seemed to be ignorant and said, “Sure and I'm handicapped too.” “Then she continued to tell us to 'hurry up and get out of her way,' mocking me as she walked towards the rear of the plane,” he recalled. The man and his wife were upset with the disrespect but decided to exercise thoughtfulness.

“Surviving a stroke and re-learning how to walk and talk was already a challenge. But having people like her accuse me of not being disabled is next-level ignorant and mean,” he said. “While we were upset, we decided against it (escalate the issue). I knew how it could unfold for the woman and her toddler and I didn't want to risk delaying the entire flight. I played out the scenario in my head and the thought of a plane full of passengers delayed due to this woman's foul behavior was not worth it,” he explained. However, he was sure to issue a public message to the woman and others like her via his Reddit post.

“So here’s a friendly reminder: Just because someone isn’t old or in a wheelchair doesn’t mean their need to preboard is up for your judgment. For the record, I’d much rather have both arms working and board in my assigned zone! Not all disabilities are visible and quite frankly, it’s none of your damn business,” he confidently wrote. People supported his comment and noted that others need to be more cautious and thoughtful, especially in situations like these. u/LateAbbreviations369 said, “An important reminder, thank you for sharing.” u/IntroductionsDue12 added, “Let's try to assume less and increase our patience.”