Disability Activist Shares His Faith

Persons with a disability are loved by God and need to be reminded of that, especially in their churches, said motivational speaker, author, and Christian Reformed Church member Johnnie Tuitel.

Tuitel says he is firmly convinced that persons with disabilities have talents, choices, and the ability, if not the responsibility, to follow God’s call in their lives.

An incident at an airport in Florida recently brought international media attention to Tuitel. Although painful, it helped to commit him even more firmly to his cause, and underscored the importance of speaking to audiences about inclusion of all people into God’s kingdom. He hopes to get more deeply involved in the work of the CRC’s Disability Concerns office (see website, discuss on The Network).

"There are all kinds of pre-judgments people make about people, about what they can and can’t do," said Tuitel, who has cerebral palsy and has used a wheelchair his entire life.

Rev. Mark Stephenson, director of the CRC’s Disability Concerns, learned first-hand about what happened from talking at length with Tuitel.

"This incident is another painful illustration of stereotyping someone on the basis of his appearance. The people who decided to remove Johnnie from the plane did not consult with him first," said Stephenson.

"They did not know anything about him nor his level of ability or experience. He may well have flown more hours than some of them! But they decided, on the basis of superficial observation, that neither he nor his fellow passengers would be safe in case of emergency."

The incident in Florida occurred at the International Airport in Palm Beach. Tuitel had booked a flight and arrived at the airport to board a plane for Kansas City, Mo., where he was to speak at a conference for Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, a national self-advocacy organization.

As has been the routine he has experienced at other airports, the airline's station manager in Florida helped transfer Tuitel from his power wheelchair into the airline's aisle wheelchair.

The manager then pushed him onto the plane. His power wheelchair remained at the gate to be loaded in the aircraft's baggage compartment. He was not in anyone's way, since he was seated near the bulkhead, and he was not in an emergency exit aisle, which meant he would not have to open the emergency exit if required, he said.

After many of the passengers had boarded the plane, the airway station manager then returned to ask that he depart the plane, telling him that he "was too disabled" to fly alone.

A veteran of hundreds of airplane flights, Tuitel was stunned, finding it hard to grasp what was happening. Even as they removed him from the plane, he kept thinking that what was happening was a mistake. "Initially, I was mortified and felt like a second-class citizen," he said.

Although he is a committed Christian, Tuitel generally speaks to secular audiences. He said he hopes to expand his work and speak to more church groups, challenging people "to make the most of their talents and to be steadfast in the pursuit of the life they desire."

After being removed from the plane, he missed his speaking engagement and flew home on another air carrier. He kept trying to decide what to do. Maybe, he thought, he should sue the airline company, charging that its personnel had violated his rights. But he didn’t want to take legal action.

Instead, after about three weeks, he sent a press release to media people he knew, letting them know what had occurred. The media response was fast.

Soon, he was appearing on local and national TV news programs and his story was featured in newspapers worldwide.

Ironically, the painful incident generated international publicity that allowed him to bring his message of disability awareness, education, encouragement, and inclusion to a worldwide audience.

"This is important education. It is about creating an environment of inclusion," of helping to create a sense of heaven in all of its multiplicity on earth, he said.

Tuitel, who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., with his wife and children, is the author of the Gun Lake Adventure Series of children's books, a motivational speaker for students and adults, and a philanthropist.

"I like to help open people's eyes to the gifts that God gives us. I believe God can use me to teach other people, especially those who have disabilities, that we are all just as whole as anybody else," he said.

Stephenson said that he hopes Tuitel's experience on the plane "will remind all of us that we cannot make valid judgments about people on the basis of what we see on the outside. Instead, we need to get to know people to learn the unique ways that God has gifted them."

For more information on Johnnie, visit his website.