[il-talk] The Seeing Eye responds to Delta's new service animal policy

[Harris Singer]

Good morning everyone,
I have a guide dog from the Seeing Eye and received the below message
from them regarding Delta Airlines new policy on service animals. The
Seeing Eye makes excellent points about the discrimination which will
come with this policy and the concern of it becoming an industry
standard. Please read below. Has the NFB taken a position on Delta's
service animal policy? There are links below which can bring you to
file comment with the government against Delta's new policy.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "advocacy at seeingeye.org" <advocacy at seeingeye.org>
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 05:01:52 -0600
Subject: The Seeing Eye responds to Delta's new service animal policy
To: Harris Singer <harris.singer at gmail.com>

The Seeing Eye



Dear fellow Seeing Eye graduate,

Many of you have contacted The Seeing Eye with concerns about Delta's
new service animal policy. The new requirements, effective March 1,
call for disabled passengers to take several steps before they will be
allowed to fly with a service animal. These steps include uploading
proof of rabies and distemper vaccinations to the Delta web site on an
annual basis, and requiring passengers to report to the check-in
counter for verification each time they go to the airport.

The Seeing Eye recognizes that all airlines must establish practical
and reasonable policies as part of ongoing efforts to keep passengers
safe. However, we believe that Delta's new service animal policy
compromises the rights of guide dog handler's to fly free from discrimination.

In response to Delta's new policy, and the likelihood that if left
unchallenged, other airlines will quickly adopt similar requirements,
The Seeing Eye has submitted the below complaint to the Aviation
Consumer Protection Division at the U.S. Department of Transportation:

1.  Passengers with guide dogs should be able to complete check-in
online, at a kiosk or curbside, just like anyone else. Instead,
Delta's new policy requires these passengers to "Visit the airport
check-in counter", where the disabled passenger's "request will be
verified at the airport by a Delta Representative." This is an undue
burden and a serious inconvenience for blind passengers -- especially
when traveling with family, friends or business colleagues who prefer
to check-in curbside or  who have already secured advance boarding
passes. This practice violates the disabled passenger's right to
choose what check-in process works best for his/her individual
circumstances, and will likely force passengers to depend on Delta
representatives or others for additional assistance that they might
not otherwise require. Moreover, segregating blind passengers from
their traveling companions or other non-disabled passengers simply to
enforce compliance with a vaccination requirement that is already
mandated by most state laws is degrading and cause for considerable
humiliation, embarrassment, and loss of dignity.
2.  The 48-hour advance notice seems to preclude last minute or
emergency travel if the trip is the passenger's first flight of the
renewal year.
3.  The policy fails to address what will happen when other airlines
need to reschedule disabled passengers onto Delta flights if those
passengers do not have the required documentation for their service
animals.

Graduates who are concerned about this new policy are encouraged to
submit their own comments describing any negative impact on air travel
on Delta by completing the complaint form at:

http://support.seeingeye.org/site/R?i=MZ_YNFTGMlXh3qohbgNVrg

If your only means of contacting the Division is by phone, you may
leave a message at (202) 366-2220.

To read more about Delta's new service animal policy, visit:

http://support.seeingeye.org/site/R?i=IVB3eVCKIBe5AsvEBFIk-A

Sincerely,

Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Advocacy Specialist
The Seeing Eye, Inc.
Morristown, New Jersey
(973) 539-4425
www.seeingeye.org
http://support.seeingeye.org/site/R?i=U8Uwhg9t9twJpQzrsgjWAg



The Seeing Eye
10 Washington Valley Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
ph (973) 539-4425
e info at seeingeye.org

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