[Flagdu] Fw: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security Administration
Sherri
flmom2006 at gmail.com
Tue Nov 23 22:04:29 UTC 2010
Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security AdministrationI'm pasting the attached letter below the pertinent information. I found it most interesting but disagree with the policy that service dog users are not eligible for the scan, as we can call our dogs through afterwards.
Sherri
----- Original Message -----
From: Samme.Ripley at ocfl.net
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:14 PM
Subject: FW: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security Administration
Sharing useful information for travelers with disabilities. Please note that you will undergo a more thorough security check then previously. Read the information below to be informed.
.Samme
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Woolverton, Stacia [mailto:Stacia.Woolverton at dms.myflorida.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 9:27 AM
To: Cain, Barbara; Howell, David
Subject: FW: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security Administration
From: Disability.gov [mailto:disability.gov at service.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 4:22 PM
To: Vaughan, Bryan
Subject: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security Administration
A letter is attached to this email, in PDF and Word formats, from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The letter provides information about TSA screening procedures, including the use of Advanced Imaging Technology and "pat-downs."
For more air travel-related information read Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions or visit Disability.gov's Transportation section.
Please share this email with others you think might benefit from this information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit Disability.Blog to read and comment on transportation issues and other subjects of interest to the disability community.
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in.
This service is provided to you at no charge by Disability.gov. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. Thank you for your interest in Disability.gov.
GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of Disability.gov · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy · 200 Constitution Avenue, NW · Washington DC 20210 · 1-800-439-1420
U.S. Department of Homeland Security601 South 12th StreetArlington, VA 22202-4220 Dear Members of the Disability Community: You have probably been hearing and seeing a lot in the media lately about the Transportation Security Administration's new screening procedures. As much of what has been circulating has been exaggerated and/or inaccurate, and with the holiday travel season rapidly approaching, I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify our procedures and hopefully address concerns you may have. TSA began piloting the use of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) in 2007. It is a highly effective security tool, and represents the best technology available today to screen passengers for both metallic and non-metallic threats. Currently, there are 411 imaging technology units at 69 airports. The most important thing you need to do to prepare for AIT screening is to make sure that you remove everything from your pockets (including your wallet) and also remove any bulky jewelry. TSA uses two types of imaging technology, millimeter wave and backscatter. The backscatter machines use narrow, low-intensity X-ray beams scanned over the body surface at high speed. The amount of radiation a person receives is miniscule; a person receives more radiation naturally each hour than from one screening with a backscatter unit. In fact a traveler is exposed to less radiation from one AIT scan than from 2 minutes of an airline flight. It produces an image that resembles a chalk-etching, and has a privacy filter applied to the entire body. Millimeter wave technology bounces harmless electromagnetic waves off of the human body to create a black and white image. The energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is thousands of times less than what is permitted for a cell phone. Millimeter wave technology has a privacy filter that blurs facial features. This technology is safe. Multiple third-party scientific and health organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Johns Hopkins University, have collected and analyzed data and concur that this technology is safe for both officers and passengers. For more information about safety see http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/jh_apl_v2.pdf and http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/08/backscatter-back-story Great efforts have been taken to ensure passengers' privacy in implementing this technology. To that end, all images generated by imaging technology are viewed in a remotely-located security location that is not visible to the public. The officer assisting the passenger cannot view the image, and as an additional precaution, the officer viewing the image is in a remote location and never sees the passenger. In addition to the privacy filters discussed previously, imaging technology cannot store, export, print, or transmit images. All images are deleted from the system after they are reviewed by the remotely located operator, and all machines have zero storage capability because they are disabled by the vendor before they reach airports. No cameras, cellular telephones, or any device capable of capturing an image is permitted in the resolution room. Imaging technology has had a very high rate of acceptance among the travelling public. Since imaging technology has been deployed at airports, over 99 percent of passengers choose to be screened by this technology over alternative screening procedures. According to a new CBS poll, 4 out of 5 Americans support the use of advanced imaging technology at airports nationwide. Click here to see more independent polling on AIT acceptance. (cbsnews.com) While you have probably also been hearing a lot about pat-downs lately, the use of pat-downs is not new. Pat-downs have long been one of the many security measures TSA and many other countries have used in its risk-based approach to help detect hidden and dangerous items such as explosives like the one we saw in the failed terrorist attack last Christmas Day. Pat-downs are primarily used to resolve alarms that occur at a walk-through metal detector, if an anomaly is detected during AIT screening, or during random screening. In any of these situations you will be given a pat-down before you're able to continue on to your flight. External medical devices can be detected by AIT. Remember if you are uncomfortable being patted-down in public you can always ask for a private screening, and if you have areas that are sensitive or have an external medical device, please let the security officer know. AIT screening is optional for everyone; however, passengers who opt out of screening by AIT or walk-through metal detectors must undergo alternate screening using a pat-down. There is nothing punitive about our measures; it just makes good security sense. Given that those who wish to do us harm have moved towards the use of artfully concealed smaller items and homemade explosives, the pat-down you receive will be more thorough than what you may have received previously. Pat-downs are conducted to provide an equivalent degree of screening and ensure that the passenger is free of all prohibited items. Some people with disabilities are ineligible for screening using AIT including the following: people who use wheelchairs and scooters who cannot stand; anyone who cannot stand with their arms raised at shoulder level for the 5-7 second duration of the scan; anyone who is not able to stand without the use of a cane, crutch, walker, etc; people who use service animals; people using or carrying oxygen; and individuals accompanying and providing assistance to those individuals described above. These people will be screened using alternate screening techniques including pat-downs. I hope that you find the information provided useful and wish you safe and happy travels. We will continue to work with you, our partners, to implement procedures that screen all passengers with the dignity and respect they deserve. Should you have additional questions, please direct them to Rhonda Basha, Director, Office of Disability Policy and Outreach (ODPO) at rhonda.basha at dhs.gov or Brewster Thackeray, Senior Policy Advisor, ODPO at brewster.thackeray at tsa.dhs.gov. _____________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: Florida has a very broad public records law (F. S. 119).
All e-mails to and from County Officials are kept as a public record.
Your e-mail communications, including your e-mail address may be
disclosed to the public and media at any time.
-------------- next part --------------
I'm pasting the attached letter below the pertinent information. I found it
most interesting but disagree with the policy that service dog users are not
eligible for the scan, as we can call our dogs through afterwards.
Sherri
----- Original Message -----
From: [1]Samme.Ripley at ocfl.net
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:14 PM
Subject: FW: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability
Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security
Administration
Sharing useful information for travelers with disabilities. Please note
that you will undergo a more thorough security check then previously. Read
the information below to be informed.
Samme
______________________________________________________________________
From: Woolverton, Stacia [mailto:Stacia.Woolverton at dms.myflorida.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 9:27 AM
To: Cain, Barbara; Howell, David
Subject: FW: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability
Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security
Administration
From: Disability.gov [mailto:disability.gov at service.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 4:22 PM
To: Vaughan, Bryan
Subject: Disability.gov Air Travel Update: A Letter to the Disability
Community from Kimberly Walton, Special Counselor, Transportation Security
Administration
A letter is attached to this email, in PDF and Word formats, from Kimberly
Walton, Special Counselor at the [2]Transportation Security Administration
(TSA). The letter provides information about TSA screening procedures,
including the use of [3]Advanced Imaging Technology and "pat-downs."
For more air travel-related information read [4]Travelers with Disabilities
and Medical Conditions or visit Disability.gov's [5]Transportation section.
Please share this email with others you think might benefit from this
information.
______________________________________________________________________
Visit [6]Disability.Blog to read and comment on transportation issues and
other subjects of interest to the disability community.
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop
subscriptions at any time on your [7]Subscriber Preferences Page. You will
need to use your e-mail address to log in.
This service is provided to you at no charge by [8]Disability.gov. If you
have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact
[9]support at govdelivery.com. Thank you for your interest in
[10]Disability.gov.
[11]Image removed by sender. Bookmark and Share
GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of Disability.gov · U.S. Department of
Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy · 200 Constitution Avenue, NW
· Washington DC 20210 · 1-800-439-1420
Image removed by sender.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
601 South 12^th Street
Arlington, VA 22202-4220
TSA_DHS_Sig_SM TSA_DHS_Sig_SM
Dear Members of the Disability Community:
You have probably been hearing and seeing a lot in the media lately about the T
ransportation Security Administrations new screening procedures. As much of wha
t has been circulating has been exaggerated and/or inaccurate, and with the hol
iday travel season rapidly approaching, I wanted to take this opportunity to cl
arify our procedures and hopefully address concerns you may have.
TSA began piloting the use of Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) in 2007. It is
a highly effective security tool, and represents the best technology available
today to screen passengers for both metallic and non-metallic threats. Currentl
y, there are 411 imaging technology units at 69 airports. The most important th
ing you need to do to prepare for AIT screening is to make sure that you remove
everything from your pockets (including your wallet) and also remove any bulky
jewelry.
TSA uses two types of imaging technology, millimeter wave and backscatter. The
backscatter machines use narrow, low-intensity X-ray beams scanned over the bod
y surface at high speed. The amount of radiation a person receives is miniscule
; a person receives more radiation naturally each hour than from one screening
with a backscatter unit. In fact a traveler is exposed to less radiation from o
ne AIT scan than from 2 minutes of an airline flight. It produces an image that
resembles a chalk-etching, and has a privacy filter applied to the entire body
.
Millimeter wave technology bounces harmless electromagnetic waves off of the hu
man body to create a black and white image. The energy emitted by millimeter wa
ve technology is thousands of times less than what is permitted for a cell phon
e. Millimeter wave technology has a privacy filter that blurs facial features.
This technology is safe. Multiple third-party scientific and health organizati
ons, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Johns Hopkins Univers
ity, have collected and analyzed data and concur that this technology is safe f
or both officers and passengers. For more information about safety see [12]http
://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/jh_apl_v2.pdf and [13]http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
2010/11/08/backscatter-back-story
Great efforts have been taken to ensure passengers privacy in implementing this
technology. To that end, all images generated by imaging technology are viewed
in a remotely-located security location that is not visible to the public. The
officer assisting the passenger cannot view the image, and as an additional pr
ecaution, the officer viewing the image is in a remote location and never sees
the passenger.
In addition to the privacy filters discussed previously, imaging technology can
not store, export, print, or transmit images. All images are deleted from the s
ystem after they are reviewed by the remotely located operator, and all machine
s have zero storage capability because they are disabled by the vendor before t
hey reach airports. No cameras, cellular telephones, or any device capable of c
apturing an image is permitted in the resolution room.
Imaging technology has had a very high rate of acceptance among the travelling
public. Since imaging technology has been deployed at airports, over 99 percent
of passengers choose to be screened by this technology over alternative screen
ing procedures. According to a new CBS [14]poll, [cid:FFD00EA30FB24CDC8AE6A49E
7E772BB8 at DCB3VNJ1] 4 out of 5 Americans support the use of advanced imaging tec
hnology at airports nationwide. [15]Click here to see more independent polling
on AIT acceptance. (cbsnews.com)
While you have probably also been hearing a lot about pat-downs lately, the use
of pat-downs is not new. Pat-downs have long been one of the many security mea
sures TSA and many other countries have used in its risk-based approach to help
detect hidden and dangerous items such as explosives like the one we saw in th
e failed terrorist attack last Christmas Day. Pat-downs are primarily used to r
esolve alarms that occur at a walk-through metal detector, if an anomaly is det
ected during AIT screening, or during random screening. In any of these situati
ons you will be given a pat-down before you're able to continue on to your flig
ht. External medical devices can be detected by AIT. Remember if you are uncomf
ortable being patted-down in public you can always ask for a private screening,
and if you have areas that are sensitive or have an external medical device, p
lease let the security officer know.
AIT screening is optional for everyone; however, passengers who opt out of scre
ening by AIT or walk-through metal detectors must undergo alternate screening u
sing a pat-down. There is nothing punitive about our measures; it just makes go
od security sense. Given that those who wish to do us harm have moved towards t
he use of artfully concealed smaller items and homemade explosives, the pat-dow
n you receive will be more thorough than what you may have received previously.
Pat-downs are conducted to provide an equivalent degree of screening and ensur
e that the passenger is free of all prohibited items.
Some people with disabilities are ineligible for screening using AIT including
the following: people who use wheelchairs and scooters who cannot stand; anyone
who cannot stand with their arms raised at shoulder level for the 5-7 second d
uration of the scan; anyone who is not able to stand without the use of a cane,
crutch, walker, etc; people who use service animals; people using or carrying
oxygen; and individuals accompanying and providing assistance to those individu
als described above. These people will be screened using alternate screening t
echniques including pat-downs.
I hope that you find the information provided useful and wish you safe and happ
y travels. We will continue to work with you, our partners, to implement proce
dures that screen all passengers with the dignity and respect they deserve. Sho
uld you have additional questions, please direct them to Rhonda Basha, Director
, Office of Disability Policy and Outreach (ODPO) at
[16]rhonda.basha at dhs.gov or Brewster Thackeray, Senior Policy Advisor, ODPO at
[17]brewster.thackeray at tsa.dhs.gov.
[cid:8AE5FD4D5A544A8480841493CB33D084 at DCB3VNJ1]
_____________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: Florida has a very broad public records law (F. S. 119).
All e-mails to and from County Officials are kept as a public record.
Your e-mail communications, including your e-mail address may be
disclosed to the public and media at any time.
References
1. mailto:Samme.Ripley at ocfl.net
2. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm
3. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/faqs.shtm
4. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&102&&&http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm
5. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&103&&&http://www.disability.gov/transportation/accessible_transportation/air
6. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&104&&&http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/transportation/
7. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&105&&&https://service.govdelivery.com/service/user.html?code=USODEP
8. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&106&&&http://www.disability.gov/
9. mailto:support at govdelivery.com
10. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&107&&&http://www.disability.gov
11. http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTEwOTEzODAmbWVzc2FnZWlkPVBSRC1CVUwtMTA5MTM4MCZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTEyNzY2NzY5ODEmZW1haWxpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJnVzZXJpZD1icnlhbi52YXVnaGFuQGRtcy5teWZsb3JpZGEuY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&108&&&http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=govdelivery&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsharing.govdelivery.com%2Fbulletins%2FGD%2FUSODEP-10A734&title=Bookmark+and+Share
12. http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/jh_apl_v2.pdf
13. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/08/backscatter-back-story
14. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20022876-503544.html
15. http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/reading.shtm
16. mailto:rhonda.basha at dhs.gov
17. mailto:brewster.thackeray at tsa.dhs.gov
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