Disabled schoolboy 'lost his dignity' after Ryanair staff refused wheelchair on flight

A mum has criticised Ryanair for stripping her son of his 'independence' and making him feel like a 'nuisance' after he was informed he couldn't bring his power on board.

Daire Gorman, who was born without arms or legs due to a rare condition known as Crommelin syndrome which affects limb development, is the individual in question. The 13 year old fanatic from Co Monaghan, was all set to travel to Liverpool to watch his beloved team play at Anfield last weekend.

However, just days before the trip, Daire's , Shelley, was asked by if the power wheelchair could be folded, only to be told that Daire's wheelchair exceeded the airline's maximum dimensions. In a conversation with The Irish Times, Shelley recounted the ordeal. After being asked if the wheelchair could be folded, Shelley responded, "replied saying it was a power wheelchair and couldn't fold down."

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When she was told that the chair would be too large, Shelley contacted special assistance customer service: "I ended up ringing special assistance customer services and they asked could he not go without the chair, and refused to take his chair", reports .

"As a parent, you try and do your best for your children and especially children with additional needs and protect them from negativity – my child needs his wheelchair, imagine asking can he not go without it."

She alleges that Ryanair initially declined to offer a refund before eventually giving in. However, this wasn't necessary as the family managed to find a manual wheelchair which was used on the day.

But according to Shelley, this led to further problems. She explained that Daire needed to use an "aisle chair" to transfer onto the plane seat.

She also alleges that Daire was the last one to board the plane when it was full, resulting in him being pushed the entire length of the plane, "knocking off people" and "losing his dignity (with) everyone watching him transfer on to the seat".

She claimed that the airline "completely took Daire's independence away and made him feel like an inconvenience".

In response to Shelley's complaints, Ryanair issued a statement to The Irish Times. In the statement, they say "regrettably, these emotive claims made by his mother are false. She fails anywhere in her complaint to accept that this wheelchair exceeded our well-publicised max dimensions."

A spokesperson for Ryanair stated that the max dimensions information was "readily available to Ms Gorman when this booking was made and if she had simply complied with them then that would have been the end of the matter".

The airline has also refuted the claim that they asked Daire's mother if he could travel without a wheelchair, and confirmed that they did offer a refund. Moreover, a spokesperson clarified that wheelchair boardings are managed by the Dublin Airport Authority, not individual airlines.

The statement asserts that Shelley's "claim that 'Ryanair completely took Daire's independence away' is false and absurd". Ryanair did not respond to The Irish Times' follow up queries about Daire's seating at the back of the plane.

On Friday, Shelley spoke out on Northern Sound radio about the incident: "He was devastated. It's hard enough for someone in a wheelchair, especially a child with additional needs. They find it hard sometimes to fit in. So yeah, he was very upset. And he thought then 'oh this is my fault. If I wasn't in a chair this wouldn't be happening. So he was very upset."

The has reached out to Ryanair for a comment on the matter.