After Delta damaged my wheelchair, they gave me a $100 voucher. I love traveling, but it's demoralizing sometimes.

• Elizabeth Doughman constantly travels with her wheelchair.
• She's experienced disrespect from airport agents, and her wheelchair has been damaged.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Elizabeth Doughman. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I use a wheelchair, and I've traveled across the world. I've brought my wheelchair to destinations like the Galápagos, Costa Rica, England, and Ireland. I also travel throughout the US for work.

I love exploring new places, and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to see the world. I'm an experienced traveler, but one part is always frustrating and difficult for me: flying.

On a recent trip to Atlanta, my wheelchair was damaged by the airline, despite my asking for it to be stored safely in a closet. Delta mailed me a $100 voucher, which was nice. But I wish they'd invest more in educating their employees and building accessible spaces.

Airports and planes are not made for wheelchairs

Navigating an airport with disabilities is physically and mentally tough. When I travel, there are attendants whose job is to assist people with wheelchairs through the airport. While the intention is to support people with disabilities, the reality is that wheelchair assistants don't always treat me like a person.

I've been on trips where I've been left in hallways so attendants can catch up with friends. On some trips I've waited 30 minutes or more for someone to be available to help me. Passengers with disabilities constantly deal with abandonment and lack of assistance during airplane delays and cancellations, but sometimes abandonment happens for no reason at all.

On another trip, two employees were trying to help me into an aisle chair. With the cabin door open and all the passengers waiting on the boarding bridge, they started yelling that they were having trouble. "We can't help her," they yelled. It was so embarrassing.

Despite these negative experiences, sometimes an attendant will treat me and my wheelchair with respect. They ask questions like "What's the best way to lift your wheelchair?" and "What's the best way for us to help you?" They make me feel like my needs matter.

Every trip is a gamble, and luckily the air-travel problems usually end when I leave the airport. But a few months ago, my luck ran out during a work trip to Atlanta for a trade show.

My wheelchair was broken

I followed my usual approach to minimize issues when I arrived at the airport.

I talked with the Delta desk representative and asked if my wheelchair could be stored in a closet in the plane's main cabin. The representative planned to try that, but unfortunately my chair ended up with the rest of the cargo.

When I arrived in Atlanta, my wheelchair came out at the baggage claim, and it was damaged. The notches for my wheelchair's footplates were broken, meaning the metal pieces where my feet should rest were hanging uselessly.

Editor's note: In response to Insider's request for comment, a Delta Air Lines representative, Emily Pitchford, said: "We consider a wheelchair an extension of a person, and while the vast majority of wheelchairs and scooters enplaned by Delta are fully handled with our high standard of care, we understand the frustration that comes when we fall short. We sincerely apologize for this customer's experience and have reached out to make things right. We continue to proactively work with our Advisory Board on Disability and our cross-divisional operations teams to improve the travel experience for our customers with disabilities."

I immediately went to file a claim, but I knew the repairs would take a long time, and I had a big trade show to attend. I needed to figure out a solution.

I tried duct-taping the footplates to keep them from dragging. This worked for several hours, until the tape snapped. Then my legs were left swinging, and my feet were constantly caught up in the front wheels.

Imagine being on your feet working all day while wearing two left shoes — that's how I felt during the trade show.

Reports from the US Department of Transportation suggest that for every 100 wheelchairs flown in a month, US airlines damage about 1.5. It's a sad statistic — but on top of that, those of us with disabilities experience constant damage to our dignity when flying.

I'm still waiting for my wheelchair to be fixed, and, most importantly, I'm still waiting for the airline industry to fix accessibility issues. I'm afraid both repairs will take a long time.