[nabs-l] Blind and low vision airline travlers

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Val,
Are you looking to learn how blind people find their seats and
bathrooms on their own, or are you looking to see if changes should be
made to the layout of airplane cabins to make it easier? If the
latter, I personally think this is probably a low priority. Most
airplanes have a single aisle and rows are numbered so the blind
person can count rows to find their assigned seat. Usually, bathrooms
are in the very front and the very back. When I go up to the bathroom
I don't even need to use my cane which means the navigation is very
straightforward. Some bigger planes have multiple aisles or rows that
are out of sequence (i.e. skipping directly from row 7 to row 20) but
in these cases it's very easy for the blind person to ask a few
questions and find their seat. I guess maybe putting all the rows in
one aisle would make it a little easier for the blind passengers but I
suspect this would make the plane cabin much longer and harder for the
rest of the passengers to navigate. In other words, I think the
airlines will have much greater concerns in terms of safe, efficient
aircraft design than catering to blind passengers. If funds were to be
spent on this, I'd perhaps recommend giving flight attendants and
airline staff more thorough training about the range of blind
passengers and the fact that some won't need any help while others
will desire more assistance. Or, maybe they could offer blind
passengers who are less experienced with flying a little informational
booklet about how the plane is set up so they can navigate it
independently in the future. These are just my thoughts.
Best,
Arielle

On 10/20/11, Valerie Perry <vpbraille at gmail.com> wrote:
> Looking for feedback or ideas on what might making bathrooms and finding
> your assigned seat on an airplane a more independent and
> enjoyable experience. Or is this even needed? Thanks, as I have an
> interested airline inquiring. Val
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