<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Open Sans";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>It’s about time they go rid of those other anaimals<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Len Schlenk.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>kristen dockendorff via CT-NFB<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 3, 2020 3:25 PM<br><b>To:</b> NFB of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> kristen dockendorff <kdockendorff@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [CT-NFB] Airlines<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Yeah great news. I hope we won’t have to do anything extra when checking in <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Dec 3, 2020 at 2:37 PM Elizabeth Rival via CT-NFB <<a href="mailto:ct-nfb@nfbnet.org">ct-nfb@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#1F497D'>Wonderful news. Let’s make sure we keep this rule in place. Lucia, please forward out to all guide dog users. Beth </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b>From:</b> Maryanne Melley [mailto:<a href="mailto:mvcmelley@gmail.com" target="_blank">mvcmelley@gmail.com</a>] <br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 03, 2020 10:27 AM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org" target="_blank">llee@nfbct.org</a><br><b>Cc:</b> Elizabeth Rival <<a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net" target="_blank">erival@comcast.net</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: Airlines<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'>This is fantastic news!!!!!<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Maryanne Melley<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>President <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>National Federation of<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>the Blind of Connecticut<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>860-212-5549<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="mailto:mvcmelley@gmail.com" target="_blank">mvcmelley@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>“Live the life you want”<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'>On Dec 3, 2020, at 10:02 AM, <a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org" target="_blank">llee@nfbct.org</a> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Maryanne & Beth,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>The article below was in The Courant this morning.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Lucia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:34.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:30.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;letter-spacing:-1.5pt'>Feds ban emotional support animals from planes; new rule allows only dogs as service animals</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:#333333;letter-spacing:.75pt'>By <span style='text-transform:uppercase'>DAVID KOENIG</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:#757575;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt'>ASSOCIATED PRESS</span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#333333'> </span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:#757575;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt'>|</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:#757575;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt'>DEC 02, 2020 AT</span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#333333'> </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:#757575;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75pt'>8:30 PM</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The government has decided that when it comes to air travel, only dogs can be service animals, and companions used for emotional support don’t count.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The Transportation Department issued a final rule Wednesday that aims to settle <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-airlines-service-animal-proposed-rules-20200122-y7hbuit4xrgelgkep5xlkgbcuu-story.html" target="_blank"><b><span style='color:#4FA8D1'>years of tension</span></b></a> over animals on airlines. The department decided that only dogs can fly for free as service animals, and companions that passengers use for emotional support don’t count.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>For years, the department required airlines to allow animals with passengers who had a doctor’s note saying they needed the animal for emotional support. <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-airlines-emotional-support-animals-rules-20190103-story.html" target="_blank"><b><span style='color:#4FA8D1'>Airlines believed passengers abused the rule</span></b></a> to bring a menagerie of animals on board including cats, turtles, pot-bellied pigs and in one case, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-emotional-support-peacock-20180131-story.html" target="_blank"><b><span style='color:#4FA8D1'>a peacock</span></b></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The agency said Wednesday that it was rewriting the rules partly because passengers carrying unusual animals on board “eroded the public trust in legitimate service animals.” It also cited the increasing frequency of people “fraudulently representing their pets as service animals,” and a rise in misbehavior by emotional support animals, ranging from peeing on the carpet to biting other passengers.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The Transportation Department proposed the new rule back in January and received more than 15,000 comments. While 3,000 commenters favored dropping protections for support animals, 6,000 spoke in favor of them, including people suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, the department said.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The Paralyzed Veterans of America said the mere presence of a dog, cat or rabbit — even if untrained — can help some travelers, and pet fees of up to $175 one-way are a hardship on low-income people.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The new rule will force passengers with emotional support animals to check them into the cargo hold — and pay a pet fee — or leave them at home. The agency estimated airlines will gain up to $59.6 million a year in pet fees.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The number of animals on planes took off several years ago, and a cottage industry grew around providing papers, doctor’s notes and even dog vests for support animals.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Delta Air Lines says it carried about 250,000 animals including service dogs in 2017 and about 600,000 last year.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Under the final rule, which takes effect in 30 days, a service animal is a dog trained to help a person with a physical or psychiatric disability. Advocates for veterans and others had pushed for inclusion of psychiatric service dogs.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Airlines will be able to require owners to vouch for the dog’s health, behavior and training. Airlines can require people with a service dog to turn in paperwork up to 48 hours before a flight, but they can’t bar those travelers from checking in online like other passengers.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Airlines can require that service dogs to be leashed at all times, and they can bar dogs that show aggressive behavior. There have been incidents of emotional support animals biting passengers and growling or barking at guide dogs for the blind.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Airlines for America, a trade group for the biggest U.S. carriers, said the new rule will protect passengers and airline employees while helping people travel with trained service dogs.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>The Transportation Department stood by an earlier decision to prohibit airlines from banning entire dog breeds. That is a setback for Delta Air Lines, which <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-delta-pit-bull-ban-animal-20190925-6apvyflz3jckrlbrb6tnktxzua-story.html" target="_blank"><b><span style='color:#4FA8D1'>banned “pit bull type dogs” in 2018</span></b></a>, a move that was criticized by disability advocates.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>Delta, however, is giving no indication of backing down. In a statement, a Delta spokeswoman said the airline is reviewing the new rule but, “At this time, there are no changes to Delta’s current service and support animal policies.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'><img border=0 width=542 height=354 style='width:5.6458in;height:3.6875in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D6C9A1.F3663E10" alt="A service dog named Orlando rests on the foot of its trainer, John Reddan, while sitting inside a United Airlines plane April 1, 2017, at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. The Transportation Department issued a final rule Dec. 2, 2020, that says only dogs can qualify as service animals aboard planes, and they have to be specially trained to help a person with disabilities."></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:21.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black'>A service dog named Orlando rests on the foot of its trainer, John Reddan, while sitting inside a United Airlines plane April 1, 2017, at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. The Transportation Department issued a final rule Dec. 2, 2020, that says only dogs can qualify as service animals aboard planes, and they have to be specially trained to help a person with disabilities. (Julio Cortez/AP)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:white;letter-spacing:.45pt'>ECT</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:white;letter-spacing:.45pt'>ING</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:30.0pt;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center;line-height:21.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif;color:white'>pyright © 2020, Hartford Courant</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>_______________________________________________<br>CT-NFB mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CT-NFB@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">CT-NFB@nfbnet.org</a><br><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org" target="_blank">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org</a><br>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for CT-NFB:<br><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/kdockendorff%40gmail.com" target="_blank">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/kdockendorff%40gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></div></body></html>