[nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
David
davidb521 at gmail.com
Wed May 19 20:41:29 UTC 2010
Hi,
Another technique for finding bags is to have some tactile identification on
the bag. You can actually kneel in front of the carousel, and feel every bag
that goes by until you discover yours. The down side to that is that it's a
little uncomfortable, and if your arms aren't long enough, you may not be
able to feel all of the bags that are farther back. But, it works well for
the most part.
David
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 2:00 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
Dear all,
Thanks for contributing to this thread. Given the rate at which people
register on the NABS website, I know someone is reading the content, and no
doubt your thoughts will be of tremendous value to students present and
future.
A few more thoughts:
1. I have a guide dog, and when coming up on the security checkpoint it has
been my experience that personnel automatically try to wand me since the dog
will set off the metal detector. So, I have Gator lie down while I walk
through the detector then call him to me so that I am clear, and all that's
required is for the representatives to pat down my guide. The extra
frisking is sometimes random. You can't avoid this, but if you can take the
initiative, if it is not random you can avoid adding a few more minutes to
your journey by having them pat down the dog independent of you.
2. If you are connecting to a second or third flight, ask the person sitting
next to you to help you read the connecting gate number if you do not yet
know it. Your fellow passenger may be walking in the same direction, if not
headed to the same gate themselves, in which case it is not unreasonable to
ask if you can follow them. Actually, this simple maneuver may work if you
are at the end of your trip and need to find ground transportation or
luggage claim. Remember that bit of advice about breaking up your
experience into small, digestible chunks. All this aside, it just makes
sense to feel comfortable talking to the people around you. One never knows
when a good educational opportunity will present itself, and talking to
people just helps you smooth out other aspects of social development. Some
of my more interesting friends I've met while clinging to one of the support
rails in one of the crowded DC subways.
3. It's been a while since I've checked bags, but when I do I try to find my
luggage locators. Some may find these look a little dorky, but you can't
beat pressing a button and having your bags chirp at you from the cluster of
bags around it. Others may suggest tying a bright pink Bowe or some other
colorful mark to clearly identify your bag. You could do this, but if you
want a higher degree of independence, luggage locators are a good bet.
4. Listen to your surroundings. Seriously, no great advance in technology
will ever replicate the surround sound that happens between your ears. We
all know the misconceptions of Super Man hearing abilities are false, but do
take advantage of all the little clues from the sound of the ground people
are walking on to the general direction of voices to the racket of cash
registers, metal detectors, PA speakers, escalators, elevators, electric
carts and other sounds that traditionally flow through an airport.
Some people have gotten good at remembering the general layout of certain
airports and could probably make a list of airports and the shapes of their
concourses. I believe the Atlanta airport is supposed to be one of the
easiest layouts, but to this day I forget what goes where when I change
planes in Atlanta. Yet it's only a matter of time before I ask enough
questions and harass enough people before I figure out how to get from one
gate to the next. It truly is something of an adventure each time, and no
doubt you will soon become an expert at recognizing that traveling by air is
not too different from finding a new classroom, navigating a mall or
negotiating a restaurant.
Best,
Still, ask questions if you have them. No one would suggest the comments up
to this point have exhausted every possibility. That's what the list is
here for.
Joe
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Domonique Lawless
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 9:57 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
Joe,
This is a great idea and I'm sure that Meghan who is most talented can
incorperate this into our site. Another thing to add is not to be
intimidated by airline personell. When I was traveling home from a
trip to China a skycap wouldn't listen to me when I said politely that
I didn't need assistance. She kept insisting that I follow her and at
the time I had no choice since she snatched my boarding pass out of my
hand after I deboarded and went through customs. She ended up taking
me to the special service room where I explained to her coworker how
she wouldn't respect my wishes and give me back my ticket so I could
travel to my gate. Since I firmly held my ground I got my way and was
able to travel to my gate.
My point is that only you know what's best for you and no one has the
right to push you around, whether they want to take your cane or stick
you in a "special" room all by yourself. It is best to remain as calm
and informative as possible when dealing with stubborn airline
personell but sometimes you have to let the gloves come off and not
give in. I appologize if this doesn't make any sense. This past week
has been exceptionally stressful and my brain is still a little
frazzled.
Best Wishes,
Domonique
On 5/17/10, Meghan Whalen <mewhalen at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is great material for the website. I'll figure out the
best way to
> incorporate it into the resources page.
>
> Thanks much,
> Meghan
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J.J. Meddaugh" <jj at bestmidi.com>
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "National Association of Blind
Students mailing
> list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:55 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
>
>
>> While airports can often seem like some of the most
confusing places to
>> navigate, they are often the most simple. Consider a couple
of points.
>>
>> Gates are usually organized in numerical order. For many
airports, think
>> of the gate area as a long hallway. Some will have all of
the gates on one
>>
>> side of the hallway and other places (restaurants, gift
shops, bathrooms,
>> etc.) on the other side. Other airports place odd gates on
one side and
>> even gates on the other side. A few larger airports will have two
>> different sets of gates, one on each side of the hallway,
such as the A
>> gates on the left and the B gates on the right.
>>
>>
>> In many cases, these gates will be 50-100 feet a part from
each other. So
>> you can use this judgment to get an idea of about how many
gates you've
>> traveled. What you may try doing once you find the right
concourse is to
>> travel down a few gates and then ask someone which gate is
nearest to you.
>>
>> You can also ask if it's on the left or right side.
>>
>> If you can avoid printing your ticket at the airport, you
may save the
>> hassle of having your seat reassigned or having your ticket
flagged as
>> needing special assistance. For shorter trips, it's often
very feasible to
>>
>> not check any bags. Remember, you are allowed one carry-on and one
>> personal item. Many travelers stretch this to using a laptop bag as a
>> personal item and a smalled wheeled suitcase as their
carry-on. It can
>> generally measure 22 by 14 by 9, though some airlines allow
bags a bit
>> larger and as long as you're close to this number, you won't
be singled
>> out by a gate agent or TSA employee. If you can stick to
carry-on luggage
>> and print your boarding pass before you arrive at the
airport, you can go
>> straight through security to your gate without your seat
being moved or
>> any airline agents messing with your reservation.
>>
>> Be sure to check on your flight from time to time to ensure the gate
>> hasn't changed or your flight is still running on time. If
you can use
>> text messaging on your phone, you can send a message with
your airline and
>>
>> flight number to Google (46645). For instance, text "aa
2500" for American
>>
>> Airlines flight 2500. You will receive a text back with the current
>> information. Alternatively, most airports offer wi-fi
Internet access.
>> While there is usually a fee to access the Internet, usually
the airport
>> website and/or flight tracker is accessible for free.
>>
>> Also, you may be looking for a snack or some food. You can
either wander
>> down your concourse and listen for sounds of grills, glasses
clanging,
>> cash registers, people ordering, etc. Or, the airport's
website will often
>>
>> have a list of food establishments and other landmarks. The better
>> websites also show where in each concourse a particular place can be
>> found, such as the nearest gate.
>>
>> Who's next?
>> Thanks, Joe, for starting this very useful idea.
>>
>>
>> J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
>> A premier Code Factory, KNFB Reader, and Sendero distributor
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 5:48 PM
>> Subject: [nabs-l] How to Files - Traveling by Air
>>
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> It seems the recent article resonated with some of our
members. Some of
>>> the
>>> responses suggest some people would have done the exact
same thing in
>>> similar circumstances, so rather than criticize or judge people's
>>> actions,
>>> why don't we create an archive of ideas people have to
address a myriad
>>> of
>>> situations. We could call each thread the How To Files,
devote a week
>>> for
>>> people to generate ideas per thread, and whoever is
managing the NABS
>>> website these days could create individual pages with a
compilation of
>>> our
>>> responses so that people can peruse the information later.
Here's my
>>> first
>>> contribution in hopes that others will follow suit:
>>>
>>> How To Files - Traveling by Air
>>>
>>> When traveling on an airplane, you should feel as
comfortable as possible
>>>
>>> to
>>> ensure an enjoyable experience. Remember these days it is
possible to
>>> make
>>> your reservations over the Internet. If the website proves
difficult to
>>> navigate, you may call the airline by phone and ask that
the telephone
>>> rates
>>> be waived. Keep in mind that taking this route may result
in your not
>>> being
>>> able to take advantage of online discounts, and while
organizations like
>>> the
>>> NFB are working to ensure website accessibility, you will
need to find
>>> the
>>> best course of action to reserve your trip there and then.
If at all
>>> possible, try to check into your flight in advance to avoid
having to
>>> stand
>>> in line to obtain your pass. If you have to check in
luggage, you'll
>>> need
>>> to approach a counter or curb-side check-in anyway, but
checking into
>>> your
>>> flight in advance means you'll have the opportunity to
choose your seat
>>> if
>>> this was not done while purchasing your ticket or unless
you're flying
>>> Southwest.
>>>
>>> When you arrive at the airport keep in mind that most
airline counters
>>> will
>>> be arranged in a central area. Of course you have to take into
>>> considerations that different airports are set up in
different ways, but
>>> your transportation will usually drop you off at an
entrance that is most
>>> closely located to your particular airline counter. Now
all you have to
>>> do
>>> is find the lines that correspond with your counter. Sound
difficult?
>>> Sometimes you may need to keep your ears open for people
walking by to
>>> ask
>>> where the counter is located. Listen for heels, rolling
suitcases and
>>> chattering kids who may be walking with their parents. You will be
>>> surprised at how willing people are willing to answer your
questions, and
>>> who knows, if you don't ask, you may pass up someone who
could be on your
>>> plane headed to the same destination.
>>>
>>> After finding the correct line you may discover that
staying in line is
>>> made
>>> easier through following the velvet ropes. Use your cane
to gently tap
>>> the
>>> heel of the person in front of you. If you are using a
guide dog, ask
>>> Cujo
>>> to move forward until you fill the vacant space the person
ahead of you
>>> has
>>> left after moving forward. If you haven't tried all this
before, you'll
>>> get
>>> the hang of it over time with a little practice. Feel free
to engage
>>> said
>>> person in conversation. Chances are the person in line may
be on your
>>> flight.
>>>
>>> So, you've checked your bags and obtained your gate passes.
While you're
>>>
>>> at
>>> the counter you may request assistance to get to the gate.
If you're
>>> running late, asking for assistance may be prudent since
you don't want
>>> to
>>> get lost and potentially miss your flight. If you're a
diligent traveler
>>> and have over an hour to kill, consider making an adventure
of finding
>>> your
>>> gate. After all, it's much more fun to walk around
exploring than it is
>>> to
>>> sit still for over an hour. What, you've got a book you'd rather be
>>> reading? Trust me, at 37,000 feet you won't be doing a whole lot of
>>> walking
>>> and will have plenty of time to catch up on what happens to
your favorite
>>> characters.
>>>
>>> And speaking of story plots, isn't it true that your
characters need to
>>> overcome a conflict to make the story worth reading? Well,
it's the same
>>> concept here. You will not fully appreciate your
independence unless you
>>> learn how to fully experience the joys of getting lost. I
assure you
>>> real
>>> world adventures are far more fulfilling than the ones on paper.
>>>
>>> Here's the first major tip, when you're at the counter, do
not try to get
>>> the representative to give you the whole layout of the
airport. Just ask
>>> for general directions to the security checkpoint. People
vary in their
>>> ability to give directions, and if you learn how to break
up your journey
>>> into small pieces, you'll have greater success and will be
less likely to
>>> get overwhelmed and frustrated.
>>>
>>> Now, assuming you're still walking along by yourself, your
task is to
>>> find
>>> the security checkpoint. With the general directions the
representative
>>> gave you, you're going to start off heading in the
direction they gave
>>> and
>>> already be on the lookout for the second person who can
confirm these
>>> directions. So, obtain, then verify. As you walk keep in mind the
>>> sounds
>>> you can associate with checkpoints. You will no doubt here
the beep of
>>> the
>>> metal detectors. Perhaps you'll hear the rattle of bags lumbering
>>> through
>>> the x-ray machines. Maybe frustrated security representatives
>>> admonishing
>>> people to take off shoes and pull out laptops?
>>>
>>> Here's the next tip: Wear shoes you can easily take off.
This is not
>>> even
>>> a blindness-related tip. This is just an important point
for blind and
>>> sighted people alike. If you wear complicated boots, you
don't want to
>>> be
>>> sprawled out on the floor undoing your laces while
generally holding up
>>> the
>>> rest of the passengers. Also, prepare your computers to be
taken out and
>>> put on the trays. Look at your airline's website to find
out what is
>>> currently being allowed. Again, if the website does not
work, pick up a
>>> phone.
>>>
>>> Just before you get to the security checkpoint you're going
to encounter
>>> the
>>> first TSA representative who will verify your pass and
identification.
>>> Ask
>>> him or her where the nearest line is to the metal
detectors. Remember
>>> when
>>> asking for directions to point with your finger to make
sure you fully
>>> understand where they are directing you. If you're wrong,
keep trying
>>> until
>>> you've got it right, or allow them to take your hand and point your
>>> finger
>>> in the right direction.
>>>
>>> Okay, I've gotta run, but I hope others will chime in with getting
>>> through
>>> the security checkpoint and finding restrooms, restaurants
and ultimately
>>> your gate. I think we can all collaborate on what to do
while flying and
>>> how to properly exit the aircraft. And, please add any
details you think
>>> important in the trip up to this point. I'm sure even
frequent travelers
>>> may learn a thing or two.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>> sleeves,
>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>
>>>
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>>
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