Contact: Michele Erwin 

Phone: (917) 414-0897  

 April 10, 2022  

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

All Wheels Up Creates Wheelchair Advisory Committee to Identify and  Resolve Air Travel Challenges for Wheelchair Users 

All Wheels Up (AWU), the only not-for-profit organization in the world funding and conducting  research for a wheelchair spot on airplanes, is pleased to announce the formation of its  

Wheelchair Advisory Committee. The committee, led by All Wheels Up Board Member Michael OKray, will be focused on answering the following questions:  

• What are the challenges wheelchair users face when traveling by air? 

• What are possible resolutions to these challenges? 

• Where would we like to see future research focus? 

These questions will be answered through in-depth conversations based on personal travel experiences during quarterly meetings, interviews with individuals and groups across the wheelchair user community, and more. 

The 2022–2024 Wheelchair Advisory Committee comprises of wheelchair users, their spouses,  and parents of wheelchair users. The group represents a diverse range of abilities, wheelchairs  they use, travel experiences, and perspectives. Members are: 

• Shane and Hannah Burcaw  

• Gabrielle Yvonne deFiebre  

• Dario Di Zanni  

• Laura Hatton 

• Emily Ladau  

• Sylvia Longmire  

• Mike OKray 

• Ryan Russell 

• Dave Stevens 

• Cory Lee Woodard  

We’re excited to see what the committee accomplishes together and how it helps the AWU mission to have a wheelchair spot on airplanes. 

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