American tourist left utterly humiliated after ‘traumatising’ ordeal at Sydney airport
A prominent disability rights activist was humiliated after being searched at Sydney airport.
US citizen Keely Cat-Wells, 28, who has met several US presidents in her role as a disability rights campaigner, was traveling through security at Sydney airport with her mother last Thursday when she told security staff she needed an ileostomy had.
An ileostomy is a surgical procedure in which a hole is made in your abdomen so that waste can be collected externally in a bag.
Ms Cat-Wells, who had an ileostomy in 2016 after doctors were forced to remove her entire colon, said the external bag has never been a problem at airports before.
“(But) as soon as I went under the scanner and said I had an ileostomy, they said I had to show it to them, they had to physically see it,” Ms Cat-Wells said. Yahoo News.
“Unbelievably, they insisted that the only way I could get through security and get to the airport was to physically see it.”
Although the award-winning disability rights advocate told staff this was not standard procedure, they asked her to expose her ileostomy bag to other travelers at the busy security gates.
Ms Cat-Wells was eventually escorted to a private room, where she was asked to remove her trousers.
US citizen Keely Cat-Wells (pictured), 28, who has met several US presidents in her role as a disability rights campaigner, was traveling through security at Sydney Airport with her mother last Thursday when she told security staff that she had an ileostomy
Ms Cat-Wells, who had an ileostomy in 2016 after doctors were forced to remove her entire colon, said the external bag has never been a problem at airports before.
“I don’t know what she (a female staff member) was trying to do, but at one point I thought she was going to touch it… it felt inhumane,” Cat-Wells said.
Ms Cat-Wells complained to Sydney Airport about her “traumatizing experience” and said they were “very apologetic”.
A spokesperson for Sydney Airport told Yahoo they “apologies for any inconvenience caused as a result of this incident.”
“Our initial investigation shows that despite following the correct procedures, there were deficiencies in communication and customer service,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Cat-Wells said her experience resonated with others in the disability community, who said they feared traveling for that very reason.
“There is so much irony in my work… one week I am advocating for President Biden on accessible transportation in the US, and then I have a terrible experience here,” she said.
“I can’t wait until we can just live and not have to argue all the time.”
Ms Cat-Wells, who was born in England but now lives in the US, met US President Joe Biden at a commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House last year.
Ms Cat-Wells, who was born in England but now lives in the US, met US President Joe Biden last year at a commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House (pictured)
Ms Cat-Wells complained to Sydney Airport about her “traumatizing experience” and said they were “very apologetic”.
