Popular Airport for Disney World Travelers Forces Disabled Boy to Lie on Floor

One of the great things about taking a trip to Walt Disney World is how accommodating the Resort is. Disney wants everyone to be able to visit and enjoy their parks, no matter their limitations or disabilities. The menus at Disney World restaurants are created to be adaptable for guests with a variety of dietary restrictions. The rides and attractions at the theme parks are designed, so nearly everyone can ride them.

Related: Disney Adding Dolls with Disabilities to “it’s a small world”

Unfortunately, not every place is as accommodating as Disney World, and one family learned that the hard way.

The Carter family had just enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They were flying back to their home state of Indiana via Orlando Sanford International Airport — a popular airport for Disney travelers. That is where things hit a snag with their son, Easton.

5-year-old Easton has many medical conditions, including epilepsy, autism, developmental delays, and Cat’s Cry Syndrome. Because of all these conditions, his family travels with a lot of medical equipment, and Easton must travel in a medical stroller. According to his parents, the medical stroller is really a wheelchair that is made more comfortable for children.

The family says that airport staff labeled his medical stroller as a wheelchair to make things easier for the family. She also had a medical note from Easton’s doctor, stating the importance of his medical equipment.

However, when they got to the TSA checkpoint, things went downhill. TSA agents told her they don’t go by what the airport says, they make their own calls and decisions.

The family spoke with Fox 7 about what happened.

Not only did her husband have to carry her son through a metal detector, but Carter says it took a supervisor nearly 45 minutes to inspect the stroller, so her son was sitting on the floor while TSA went through their bags, and she almost missed her flight.

“I said you can’t do that, and you don’t get to decide who is disabled or not, that’s not your job,” said Carter.

Because of his medical conditions, Easton cannot stand on his own and is medically required to be in his stroller.

The TSA has said that they are investigating the incident, which includes talking to the people involved and reviewing security camera footage.

The Orlando Sanford International Airport was also made aware of the situation and issued the following statement:

“The Sanford Airport Authority (SAA) is aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred between a family and TSA security screening personnel at the Orlando Sanford International Airport on September 24, 2023. Although the incident falls within TSA’s responsibility and ownership, this family’s experience is very concerning to the SAA. We have coordinated with TSA and have been assured that the circumstances will be addressed appropriately. The SAA remains committed to ensuring that all passengers are treated with respect and dignity at our airport.”

Related: Make-A-Wish Helps Second-Grader Fulfill Dream of Going to Disney World

For two years of his life, Easton was on a ventilator, unable to breathe on his own. Thankfully, his mother says that he is now “thriving”, which is why they were able to travel to Walt Disney World. The Carter family had an amazing time on their Disney trip. Easton’s mother, Jennifer, said that the magical vacation was “everything.”

The TSA does say that its employees need to examine everything that comes through airport security, including medical equipment. However, every American with a disability has the right to be treated “with dignity and respect.” The main issue here seems to be that it does not seem respectful to make a 5-year-old, severely disabled boy, lie on the floor for almost an hour.

This post is originally appeared on Disney Fanatic.