[nabs-l] Flying with a Cane

[Ashley]

Arielle,

I too have traveled quite a bit in the past, and am a big fan of doing
so as independently as possible. There were many times I have refused
assistance in an airport setting, but was not aware of that act,
giving us the legal right to do so. This is interesting and I will
keep it in mind. However, I do have a question, and would like some
opinions on this. I have traveled independently countless times, to
conventions and suchh, aand the most was to Washington seminar.
However, I am going to be traveling outside of the country. I would
like to try to retain my independence as much as possible, and would
like some advice. I am traveling with American Airlines, which I have
not really used in the past. When i made my reservation, I requested
assistance, because I was not sure what things would be like, or if
they would be the same at all, especially in another country. However,
I would love to be able to increase my self asteme by doing what I can
independently. I feel more confident now than I did when i made the
reservation, would it be possible to let them know I wouldn't be
needing it? in that case, without it, what kind of advice can you give
me about independent tavel abroad. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.


On 9/12/11, vejas <brlsurfer at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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