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

Tue Jan 23 23:47:11 UTC 2018

 I might even call the guide dog group And see if I can make a radio
segment out of this. This is interesting and this just came out I think
last week.

Sincerely
Robert A. Hansen
hansen.robert70 at gmail.com
Robert A. Hansen https://www.securitylife.com/gpm?agnt=010N4261 Get started
on your dental insurance quote today! For assistance, please contact your
GPM H&L agent or call the Ameritas Sales Connect Team at 800.371.1133.
Illinois residents only

On Jan 23, 2018 1:47 PM, "Patti Chang via IL-Talk" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> I suggest you reach out to our division for guide dog users. It is called
> NAGDU and Marion Gwizdala is president. NAGDU is the best source for guide
> dog info.
> I copied Marion here for your convenience. I have not yet seen anything on
> this but I am not a dog handler.
>
>
>
>
> Patti Chang Esq.
> Treasurer
> National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
> (773) 307-6440
> www.nfbofillinois.org
>
> Find us on twitter: "NFBI"
> Search for "National Federation of the Blind of Illinois" on facebook.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Harris
> Singer
> via IL-Talk
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2018 8:05 AM
> To: NFB of Illinois Mailing List <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Harris Singer <harris.singer at gmail.com>
> Subject: [il-talk] The Seeing Eye responds to Delta's new service animal
> policy
>
> 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
>
> unsubscribe:
> http://seeing.convio.net/site/CO?i=ZGgijsTF9PRQCJIILjwCUAUGQYAonf
> 40&cid=1061
>
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