[nabs-l] Fwd: [Members] Airline apologizes for forgetting blind teen

[Dennis Clark]

Hello everyone,
I agree with Darrell.  In addition to the points Darrell raised, let's also 
remember that according to the story the plane door was closed.  I don't 
know that most people would know how to open the plane door, but as a 
mechanical engineer I can promise you that they are designed to be difficult 
to open.  Moreover, if you did manage to open the door, it is possible that 
the moveable tunnel would already have been moved away from the plane in 
which case it would be 20 or more feet down to the ground.  Even if the 
tunnel is still in place it would not be wise to enter it if airline 
personnel do not know you are there, because they could choose that moment 
to begin folding it up with you inside, which might prove fatal.  Given the 
information the passenger had available to her I think she made a wise 
decision.
Best,
Dennis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Darrell Shandrow" <darrell.shandrow at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 6:33 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fwd: [Members] Airline apologizes for forgetting blind 
teen


> Hello Sarah and all,
>
> I think we may want to exercise care before judging this situation too 
> quickly.
>
> Many times while traveling by air, flight attendants have asked that I 
> wait until the plane has emptied before leaving. Sometimes I do this and 
> sometimes I don't.
>
> If Jessica were asked to wait, then she were forgotten, then she certainly 
> does have a very legitimate complaint here.
>
> We also need to keep in mind that members of the blind community have wide 
> ranging capabilities and other disabilities with which they must cope.
>
> As always, this just comes down to the fact we all must exercise our due 
> diligence while performing our jobs to avoid problems of this sort.
>
>
> On 5/15/2010 4:19 PM, Sarah Alawami wrote:
>> I think she should have gotten off the plain by her self. How hard can 
>> that be? just  get off and turn right and go up the ramp thing and turn 
>> left and get out and then wait for your escort. but here's the story.
>>
>> Airline apologizes for forgetting blind teen
>>
>> Edmonton Journal , May 15, 2010
>>
>> United Airlines has apologized to a blind woman from Vancouver Island who
>> was abandoned on an empty plane in Chicago.
>>
>> Jessica Cabot of Courtenay, B.C., made headlines this week after she went
>> public about being forgotten in an empty United Airlines plane on an 
>> April 7
>> stopover in Chicago.
>>
>> The 18-year-old was waiting for flight attendants to escort her to a
>> connecting flight to Florida when she heard the plane door seal shut. Ten
>> minutes later two maintenance staff happened to find her on an 
>> unscheduled
>> check of the plane.
>>
>> She panicked in the plane, calling for help.
>>
>> After a series of complaints, Cabot received a $250 airline voucher and 
>> the
>> promise of an apology. Five weeks after her flight and a series of news
>> stories later, she finally got one.
>>
>> "They just called," said Cabot, on the phone from Jacksonville, Fla., 
>> where
>> she is visiting her fiance. "I can't even count how many times they said
>> sorry."
>>
>>
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