[nabs-l] Airlines and Federation History

Mon May 17 03:11:52 UTC 2010

Darrell,

Having been one in the middle of that part of our history, we thought we did have a pretty good chance of winning and 
came pretty close.  While the victory that we did get was very, very small, at least now there is consideration in advance 
as to who should sit in an exit row and the qualifications are better defined.  There was none at all then, a blind person 
was often replaced by whomever sat closest.  The policy was not enforced consistently.  Before 1987 or so, I sat in exit 
rows at least four times without any issue being raised, and for the record, I never requested to sit in one, it was just 
coincidence.  

I am not pretending this is what we had hoped for, but we are no longer singled out to the degree that we were then, 
being repeatedly seated in an exit row and then asked publically when the plane was full to exchange places with 
virtually anyone else.  It is also much easier  to pick your battles after the fact.  It wasn't just exit rows then, it was 
whether we should be able to keep canes, and whether there should be a limit on the number of handicapped people 
on a single flight, and whether there should be mandatory preboarding.  There was an attempt to impose a requirement 
that handicapped persons be placed in a special services room with airline officials keeping their tickets so they would 
have to remain there, which happened to some travelers.  

During my involvement, I never maintained that all blind people should sit in exit rows.  I also maintained that not all 
sighted persons were qualified to sit there, either.  A person needs to feel they are able to handle that responsibility and 
there needed to be some basic qualifications established as well.  I still feel I am probably better able to handle an exit 
row emergency better than many of the people who sit in that seat because I'm comfortable on the roof of my house and 
am not afraid of heights as the wing is generally a good ten feet or more off the ground.  I am a decent swimmer and 
would not hesitate if exiting would mean jumping into water.  I wonder how often, even under current regulations, 
whether the airlines make certain that people in exit rows have a fear of heights, are afraid of water, can swim, or 
whether they might even have a heart condition.  However, in todays atmosphere with all of the problems that have 
been initiated by terrorists on airplanes, there is certainly nothing to be gained by opening this up now.  

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Sun, 16 May 2010 13:47:31 -0700, Darrell Shandrow wrote:

>Hello Peter,

>I must say that NFB's issues with the airlines are an excellent example 
>of the need to pick battles one can actually win.

>It is my thought that the fight over the exit row was ridiculous.

>There's only one case where it might be a legitimate issue. That would 
>be if it resulted in a blind person actually being denied the trip.

>If the blind person can be reseated or a sighted one is voluntarily 
>bumped in order to secure the blind person's equal rights in the case of 
>a packed flight, then the matter is resolved IMHO.

>On 5/16/2010 11:50 AM, Peter Donahue wrote:
>> 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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