[nabs-l] Airlines and Federation History

Sun May 16 18:50:39 UTC 2010

Hello Briley and everyone,

    If people would take the time to read Walking Alone and Marching 
Together they would learn of the federation's long struggle to secure equal 
access for the blind in air travel. It is a history filled with the kind of 
publicity and dribble that can result from incidents like this one, and much 
much more. Blind people had their canes taken away from them by airline 
personnel, were told they couldn't sit in seat rows other than the bulkhead 
if they used a guide dog, were told they needed to preboard and post-board, 
the list goes on. Read past issues of The Braille Monitor from the late 
1980s and the early 1990s to get an idea of the kind of discrimination 
heaped on blind air passengers and why today we must still be on our guard 
when stories of this kind hit the media. Blind people were arrested and 
physically removed from planes and went to jail for doing nothing more than 
demanding to be treated like other passengers.

    We successfully closed down a US Airways ticket counter for several 
hours due to their demanding a blind person move from an emergency exit row; 
a seat he was assigned in the first place. The NFB held several protest 
against the FAA and the DOT due to their unwillingness to take a hand in 
remedying the discriminatory treatment we experienced at the hands of the 
airlines and still do. I know because I took part in several of these 
activities.
Other types of air passengers now experience similar treatment. Large 
passengers are an example. The NFB can teach the flying public a thing or 
two about fighting the horrible treatment now experienced all too often. 
They just need to learn to stop, as Dr. Maurer put it in 1986, "Sitting down 
and shutting up!"We as federationists need to remember these struggles and 
not take the freedom of travel we now have for granted. These nabsters 
aren't just squealing over nothing but are remembering our past and 
upholding our legacy of collective action by reacting the way they are. All 
the best.

Peter Donahue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Briley Pollard" <brileyp at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fwd: [Members] Airline apologizes for forgetting 
blindteen

Valory,

Again, the reason this is upsetting is A, this girl, (from the way it was 
portrayed), isn't comfortable enough with herself to stand up for her 
rights, and B, (the biggest issue), how we're portrayed in the media. What 
is said about one of us is perceived to be a definition of all of us. Media 
coverage of us is so often negative and condescending, and yes, it does 
upset me, and yes it does push me to speak up about how this is not 
acceptable.

Briley

On May 15, 2010, at 10:15 PM, Valerie Gibson wrote:

> I agree.  Seems to quick to point out someone else's fault and become 
> indignant for all over one person's actions.
>
> There's just not enough imformation in the article to make such judgement 
> calls.  We can only say what we would do in that situation, and while we 
> don't know this girl's background or mental capabilities it seems unfair 
> to point fingers.
>
> Perhaps she did not know that there are organisations like the NFB who 
> could help her. Perhaps she has been told all of her life that she needs 
> sighted help in everything.
>
> We've all been in a position where we did not know how to do things, and 
> judging that you have found this mailing list, you've found the NFB as 
> well as a sense of endependance.   Not everyone has done so.
>
> Does it look bad for the blind community? Yes.
>
> But how's this for a solution: try and find this girl and tell her that 
> there are places where she can learn a bit of independance.
>
> On May 15, 2010, at 8:33 PM, Darrell Shandrow wrote:
>
>> 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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>>
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>
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