Barrett Evans, who works as the Chief Learning Officer at Ford Motor Company, sparked an online backlash after taking to social media to blast a fellow passenger onboard his flight to San Diego.
Evans saw that passenger watching Fox News on the plane’s seatback entertainment screen. Then, while they deplaned, he saw the elderly man and his wife using airline-provided wheelchair assistance to their connecting gate.
- ‘Love to see you supporting DEI’ he told the man.
- ‘Not me!’ the elderly passenger replied.
- ‘Yes – you. That wheelchair, and the human pushing it, are provided at no direct cost to you—rather by a subsidized cost attributed to every passenger in this airport. Provided to level the playing field—for you.’ he replied.
In a follow-up, he argued that wheelchair assistance was an example of DEI in action ensures equitable access for those who require assistance, regardless of their ability to pay. (Although, in fact, there’s very much a tipping expectation for the low-paid wheelchair assistance contract workers.)
wtf is a Chief Learning Officer https://t.co/B78A6rj9cf
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) April 14, 2025
Evans has made his Threads account private.
One Mile at a Time says he agrees with the point being made but doesn’t think sharing snark on a plane is the right time for it. He says that the Ford exec “actually made the point really well” but that he shouldn’t have gotten on a soapbox over someone watching Fox News inflight.
I’d say that a DEI advocate going after a wheelchair passenger is… something. And going after them because of what they suppose to be that individual’s ideas evinces a real lack of respect for diversity (of thought) as well as offering a poor example by making assumptions about another person based on their appearance (that they’re watching a specific news channel).
Contra Lucky, I don’t think he makes the point well at all because wheelchair accommodations have little to do with DEI. This is something governed by the The Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. § 41705) of 1986. Disability accommodation may be consonant with but is not the same as DEI, and there’s no reason why support for it requires support for a broader agenda surrounding race, gender identity, sexuality, and ethnicity. And in any case, the former long predates the latter.
Live and Let’s Fly on the other hand characterizes the rant as mean-spirited, and I’d suggest hardly inclusive.
The Chief Learning Officer of a major global corporation is out of their depth here and displaying exceptionally poor judgment taking on an elderly passenger in need of wheelchair assistance and putting him on blast on the internet – and that he might consider doing additional learning himself about the relevant issues before someone decides he’s unqualified for his current role. I also suspect that many Fox News viewers buy Ford trucks? At least they used to.
Sounds like someone needs to do some learning. From the unemployment line.
The ford exec sounds like a real ass.
Chief Learning Officer? You can’t make this stuff up…
Guess we know which position Ford will eliminate to lower its corporate payroll costs.
Not wrong though. Right wing boomers will be the death of us, while sucking us dry as they coffin dodge their way to the bitter end.
Oh look……another “tolerant” liberal.
Chief Learning Officer needs to learn a few things…I predict he will soon lose his position.
The auto assumption of this CLO is if a fellow passenger is watching Fox News, then that passenger must be MAGA, anti DEI, homophobic/transphobic, pro-life, shoots automatic weapons, just purchased a Tesla, only high school educated, hates Zelensky, is unvaccinated, etc……
Well, all those MAGA’s are buying Ford’s F150’s and keeping his cozy job in play.
Will Delta ban him for taking pictures of passengers and shaming them online?
If you’d enjoy a premium flight, shared with diverse and thoughtful guests and crew, please consider Delta.
Just want to jump in here to address people mocking the executive’s job title. In fact, a position like “Chief Learning Officer” is crucial in an age when traditional companies are going to have to reskill and become learning organizations to remain competitive. Cars are becoming computers on wheels, after all.
Just because we implemented some common sense laws which predated the term DEI doesn’t mean that they aren’t a part what would be considered DEI. We are allowing people with disabilities to be Included in building access and transportation access. Our Texas Governor is able to work in the Governor’s mansion and visit the Statehouse because Texas adopted federal disability laws as state laws which apply to state and municipal property. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, it would have been extremely hard for him to get where he is without government spending it’s own money making state/municipal properties handicapped accessible, and federal laws making transportation and commercial properties add accessibility features to commercial buildings. If that’s not Inclusion, and possibly Equity, I don’t know what it might be.
That being said, singling out a random person at an airport is not very supportive. Writing a blog post about the incident without directly confronting the person would still get the point across, without making the individual feel defensive. One never changes viewpoints by making someone feel defensive. I agree that DEI has frequently become exclusionary. But, if people are trying to find the best employee for a position, and don’t interview a diverse set of applicants, how do they know the got the best. But, there are certain cases, like a Synagogue hiring a new rabbi is not likely to find many qualified candidates at a Mosque, unless they are having an interdenominational service.
Look at that. The brave “loud and proud” rainbow beta took his social media account private.
Reading the comments here and the fact that this exchange even happened (or that people can find DE&I a problem) reminds me of how much I dislike America and so glad I left it behind for good.
Thanks for sharing. The Ford guy’s area was learning so maybe he thought it was a teachable moment. The wheelchair pax were included in the flight experience courtesy of the “I” for inclusion in DEI. The staff were trained on special needs so the couple wouldn’t be left out.
“Contra Lucky, I don’t think he makes the point well at all because wheelchair accommodations have little to do with DEI. ”
C’mon. DEI absolutely includes disabilities.
DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, includes initiatives that promote the representation and participation of various groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation. It aims to create fair treatment, equal opportunities, and a sense of belonging for all individuals within an organization.
Ford. Give him the ax. Yes, I have a Ford car…..
“…and so glad I left it behind for good.”
So are we.
That’s why Trump canceled all DEIA initiatives, not DEI!
You can’t make this stuff up. He’s fracked up in so many ways.
You’re a senior exec in major US company. In charge of “learning”. And you publicly dump on an ELDERLY person. Who’s in a WHEELCHAIR. Why? Because you’re making broad assumptions about him based on what he watched on a plane.
The CEO of Ford should send the man an apology. And if the post included a picture of the man (even blurred), he should include a new Ford Truck as well.
The Ford employee was very effective in getting the message out and teaching anti-DEI people and others that wheelchair accessibility at airports when flying common carrier flights is DEI in action.
@LadyOlives – I have a feeling we are glad you left also, do you have a place for @justin. You to would make a great couple.
The executive is 100% correct! It’s comical how far-right voters somehow think that the benefits they enjoy are exempt from the DEI label until those benefits are ripped away from them. Wait until Trump strips away their subsidized healthcare and their food stamps because those are examples of DEI programs that dole out benefits equally but charge the person on a sliding scale based on their ability to pay.
@sky – DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, includes initiatives that promote the representation and participation of various groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation. It aims to create fair treatment, equal opportunities, and a sense of belonging for all individuals within an organization.
Thanks for the explanation, but everyone gets equal treatment, not equal outcome. That is why the NBA is 90% black. DEI also encourage sub-standard performance.
I’m glad he did it. The old tards watching Faux News need to be brought back to reality.
I saw a passenger in front of me watching ‘The View’, but I didn’t feel obligated to comment.
The president’s January executive order specifically includes the banning of accessibility in promotion in the workplace (he refers to it as a DEIA policy). Many government agencies have removed training related to accessibility from their workplaces. For example, training around how to make word documents accessible to the blind have been removed as it goes against the DEIA ban. Many folks don’t seem to be aware of this.
“The auto assumption of this CLO is if a fellow passenger is watching Fox News, then that passenger must be MAGA, anti DEI, homophobic/transphobic, pro-life, shoots automatic weapons, just purchased a Tesla, only high school educated, hates Zelensky, is unvaccinated, etc……”
Well, yeah, they’re watching Fox news. LOL. But seriously, they didn’t assume this off the bat, the first part of their exchange was “Love to see you supporting DEI” “Not me”
Was this exchange nice and appropriate? Well, no. But it’s spot on. The cost both to businesses (adding ramps, and occasionally elevator), and the public (primarily tearing out curbs and replacing with ramps) was significant when these requirements came out in the 1980s, up through the 1990s. And ongoing costs (like the airports having wheel chairs and people to push them) are there too. There was serious consideration in the 1980s of just not having these requirements due to costs. The “I” — inclusion — in DEI encompasses things just like this.
I do realize, the current anti-DEI sentiments are really on about getting rid of racial, gender, and gay/transgender equality and rights… but if that’s what they want they can quit tiptoeing and say that explicitly. DEI includes more than that.
(I probably have a view unpopular to everyone… but the affirmative action ‘lets set aside x for y’ or ‘lets give y extra points in consideration’, that is in fact discrimination and I have no issue seeing it go. The rest of it? Removing mentions of famous black, female, etc. scientists, historical figures, war figures, etc. from web sites; the scrubbing of info from even NIH medical databases? That is ridiculous. The forced closure of certain school clubs and business programs (so-called ‘invictive DEI’) seems like an overstep and unnecessary. People that are like “Don’t step on my rights” while gleefully supporting stripping rights from others (gay, transgender, etc.)? Hypocritical and unnecessary, let people live how they wish. There ya go, I think I’ve torqued off both the right and the left. Enjoy and have a nice day!)
DEI – Participation trophies for the unteachable and the [never will be] qualified.
Libtards – The Looney Tunes of the 21st Century.
Arrogant Ass “Chief Learning Officers” who thrive on public shaming & embarrasment – DEI on fire and hopefully, soon to be fired.
It’s common to rag on Fox News. It’s kind of hokey but alternatives are just as bad. CNN used to be moderate and neutral, particularly with its 30 minute Headline News continuous loops but now CNN is leftist. Given CNN, MSNBC, and Fox, the passenger has to pick something among the bad.
DEI is not related to disability accommodations. The old man is retired so he’s not trying to fill a wheelchair using employee quota.
The Ford man is unhinged for hating Fox News. I don’t watch it but I would if there’s some news breaking story and the other channels were doing talk shows and not news.
LadyOlives and Mike P, add me to your list. Watching the sh@thole USA and the idiocy has been the best decision of my life. Watching the train wreck from afar is worth the price of admission.
Fire him. Yesterday.
Derek, CNN is ultimately owned by the Warner Brothers conglomerate which is not exactly a bastion of leftism. There were some liberal commentators like Cronkite, but they are long gone from the mainstream media. Only a handful of huge corporations own the vast bulk of America’s mainstream news outlets, and they assuredly are not going to discuss things that could cut into their power and profits. (Or that of their sponsors, like the pharmaceutical industry, for example.) I think CNN might seem slightly leftist because they still more or less report accurately on the antics coming out of the White House. Come to think of it, that’s a place where Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn would have felt comfortable, so maybe you have something there!
@Ray, @ladyolives, @ mike p – I want to congratulate you for having the courage of your convictions to leave America. If America ever transitioned into the country you want, then you wouldn’t be able to freely leave it. So goodbye and you should be thanking America for allowing you to legally depart.
@Michael Mainello
You have taken my comment out of context. I was simply correcting @Gary Leff that DEI indeed includes disabilities.
The Ford exec should be terminated because he is clearly non compus mentis in many ways
(1) It is none of your business what other people watch for entertainment
(2) If you decide to look at other people’s screens that does not give you carte blanche to comment on them
(3) Just because someone watches FoxNews on a plane that does not say anything about their politics generally or their views on DEI
(4) People in wheelchairs generally have a tough time in airports they don’t need abuse from fellow passengers
(5) If you are in a high profile corporate position you don’t post shit on public forums period regardless of your views
(6) And I’d argue that using a wheelchair has nothing to do with DEI –
(7) Blasting someone who uses a wheelchair and watches foxnews is actually the opposite of what DEI promotes
This is all business 101 stuff that every corporate drone learns in the first month on the job. Anybody with judgment this poor should be terminated immediately
He should be terminated for the busy body Fing idiot he has demonstrated he is and Ford should be embarrassed to be associated with this. I am as an F150 driver for life
Lefties – take note of this.
THIS is EXACTLY WHY YOU LOST the last election. Heck, you got destroyed. Nagasaki x 10000 in terms of politics.
So many left wing dingbats are SSOO self-righteous and talk down to everyone in this regards has caused such disdain for your kind from the moderates & the right wing.
This disrespectful human was so much more interested in pushing his agenda & point, that he – as Gary points out – has nothing to do with DEI. The ACAA covers wheelchair access and requirements for the airlines, well before DEI was even imagined in some left wing SJW’s head.
Ah, I’m to the party, again. Sheesh. Anyway, nice to see the spirited debate!
Personally, I prefer to not interrupt, or to be interrupted by, fellow passengers; but if they do, I try to be courteous, de-escalate, and keep off social media.
The Ford employee clearly took a different path. Yet, I don’t think there’s anything ‘fireable’ here. Those calling for that are silly; if you ever were offended by ‘cancel culture’ you shouldn’t be asking for that. (It’s the equivalent of ‘Burn him! He’s a witch!’)
More broadly, on disability protections, I think the ADA was one of President H.W.’s great accomplishments. All people, regardless of disability, deserve dignity, even if they watch Fox ‘entertainment’ News. I’m concerned that we (in the USA) are losing sight of its importance, and more willing to punch-down the vulnerable. Please, resist that urge. Help others.
Wheelchairs and accommodations due to a disability are100% DEI.
DEI isn’t about hitting quotas based on race or gender. It’s about giving equal access to all and removing barriers.
The Chief Learning Officer should be blowing the dust off of his resume. Hopefully he “LEARNED” a very valuable lesson here. Bye, bye and good riddance.
This “learning officer” should do a little learning himself. A wheelchair is DEI? That makes no sense. DEI is about prioritizing immutable characteristics like race and gender over merit. This super self righteous ass clown is conflating DEI with socialism or a social welfare state. He should be fired for being a complete idiot, as well as for insulting a majority of his customers and just being an overall terrible person.
@jason – Since you put it that way, we had 2 DEI hires not just 1 in the previous regime – Biden & Harris.
He should learn the difference between the ADA and DEI. So should some of the rest of you.
Isnt it a good thing for a well read person to watch FOXNews even if you arent right wing? It allows you to learn what the opposition is reporting. You can easily not be right wing and watch Fox.
This is just more tolerant left. Preaching that one should not assume anything while making assumptions themselves. The biggest hypocrites in the world.
Ford is a sorry company. They stopped making cars except the Ford Mustang.
Heaven forbid someone disses faux news promoting the lies of their orange clown messiah. People want benefits for themselves but are reluctant to share with others of different races, religions, sexual orientation, gender identity. Remember how trump and rush imitated a disabled journalist and Michael J Fox. The right wingers are hypocrites and lash out at others but can’t take any criticism.
Well, he’s correct of course, but that scolding fell on deaf ears — people like that do not think critically, if they ever think at all. But as a nation we are a lost cause — It’s Rome 463 C.E. and we are finished. What was once beautiful about our country is now gone and the vox populi have said “good riddance.”
Sorry that I upset Gary when I said both Biden and Harris were DEI hires, but it is true.
This isn’t DEI because it’s not about people applying for the same job or place at a college where only 1 person is going to get it.
Also, min wage in San Diego is 17.25. Why should the wheelchair pusher be tipped? Are fast food workers tipped? If the guy got tipped 5 dollars twice in an hour that would be 27.25 an hour for standing around and walking through the terminal. What do they pay the baggage handlers? They don’t get tips and have to lift things repeatedly.
If the wheelchair pusher is a volunteer, then that is different.
I seriously doubt that anyone who is in need of wheelchair assistance in an airport is enjoying the experience. Thanks to all of the entitled passengers on Southwest Airlines who whine and complain every single time they see a wheelchair, and of course that was the picture in this article. My hope is that someday, all of the people who judged the wheelchair passengers may have the pleasure of the judgmental stares someday so that they can feel degraded and looked down on as if they did not belong in an airport. This man and his tirade against this couple is what is really shameful. Ford Motor Company should reconsider his employment.