DENVER (KDVR) — New rules could soon be in place to protect airline passengers with disabilities.

This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new rule that would hold airlines accountable for mishandled wheelchairs, enhance employee airline training and improve standards on planes.

How much snow is expected to fall in Colorado this weekend?

This would be the biggest expansion of rights for passengers who use wheelchairs since 2008, according to the DOT.

For Englewood resident Kelly Taylor, traveling by plane has come with some turbulence.

“I go to Florida, Oklahoma and other states, but it just makes me not want to travel anymore because of the way I get treated on the airlines,” Taylor said.

He’s talking about a flight home from Las Vegas last year when he was originally seated in a window seat before eventually being reassigned and then told his wheelchair had been damaged.

“They did replace my wheelchair, but I want them to not just replace my wheelchair and sweep me under the rug like they’ve done with probably hundreds of other people disabled as well,” Taylor said. “This needs to be corrected. It needs to be corrected for the better for all of us.”

The proposal would make mishandling wheelchairs an automatic violation of the Air Carrier Access Act and allow the DOT to more easily penalize airlines and hold them accountable. It would also prompt airlines to repair or replace damaged wheelchairs.

An estimated 5.5 million Americans use wheelchairs and may encounter barriers when flying. In 2023, more than 11,527 wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled by carriers, according to DOT.

The announcement also proposes annual training, including hands-on training for employees who help passengers with disabilities, and calls for improved standards on planes.

“It is a step forward, but we’ll see what’s going to take place with it,” Taylor said.

The department is asking the public to weigh in. People have about 60 days to submit comments before the window closes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.