[nabs-l] Flying with a Cane

[vejas]

What is that 1986 act, and how has it helped people become more 
independent?


 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:51:03 -0600
Subject: [nabs-l] Flying with a Cane

Hi all,
Since I travel to visit family a lot, and attend NFB and 
psychology
meetings on a regular basis, I have become a very frequent flyer.  
Over
the past two years I flew, on average, once a month and almost 
all
those flights were solo.  I have been flying alone for several 
years
and have never had any serious problems with airline officials 
beyond
the nuisance of being asked repeatedly if I need assistance.  
Although
independent air travel used to be rough, I do believe that things 
have
gotten much better with the passage of the 1986 Air Carrier 
Access
Act.
In security I do place my cane on the X-ray belt along with my
luggage, shoes and laptop.  A security official guides me by 
voice,
hand or both so I can get through the detector without bumping 
into
it.  I then retrieve my cane on the other side with my belongings 
and
don't think much of it.  The distance I have to walk without my 
cane is
very minimal.
Like others have said I will insist on keeping my cane during the
flight, however, for the simple reason that should I need to 
evacuate
the plane, I need to have my cane with me and I will not have 
time to
try to find it in the overhead bin.  If I am traveling with a 
folding
cane I will fold it up and stash it under the seat in front of 
me.  If
I am using a straight cane I lay it on the floor between the 
window
seat and the window, running parallel to the window.  If I don't 
have a
window seat and someone is already seated there when I board, I 
simply
ask this passenger to do this for me.  This has never caused any
problems.  It's important to remember that no matter what a 
flight
attendant might tell you, you have a legal right to place your 
cane
next to the window.  You also have a legal right to refuse any
assistance offered to you at the airport, including escorts,
wheelchairs, and pre-boarding.  I think there was only one time 
when I
actually had to remind an airport official about this
I have navigated airports throughout the country without an 
official
escort and have done so for the past five years with only one
exception (when I was flying back from Australia and had limited 
time
to make a connection).  Bear in mind, I am not a stellar 
traveler, and
I started navigating airports on my own before I had good travel
training.  The interior of an airport is a safe place to travel
independently even if you have little travel experience because 
there
are so many people from whom to gather information.  I have 
posted
before on this list about techniques I use in the airport and I'd 
be
happy to correspond with anyone privately if you want to know 
more
detail about how I do it or have specific questions.
Best,
Arielle

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