[nabs-l] Flying out of the country

[Greg Aikens]

I have done some traveling abroad alone and to be honest, I found it easiest to accept help when possible.  Even in a country like England, where I speak the language and you would assume things are similar to the U.S., I was intimidated by not knowing exactly what to do.  This may have been more related to my newness at traveling abroad than my independent travel skills though.  

Traveling to central asia, I also requested assistance.  I did not speak the language and airport behavior was extremely different than anything I had been exposed to before.  When getting off the plane, the passengers literally crush to the front of the plane to get off.  A helpful flight attendant forced his way back through the crowd to help me not get trampled (and I'm not a small guy).  We then rushed onto a people mover, where we also crushed in on one another.  When we got to the terminal, the entire plane was attempting to force its way through a set of double doors into the building.  As we passed through, someone took our temperature by putting a thermometer in the crook of my elbow.  Not being able to speak the language, I was rather disturbed when someone grabbed my arm, put something up against my arm, and then pulled my wrist back toward my body.  All that to say, the airport was a zoo.  Assistance was vital to get through there.  

I was not brave enough to try crossing streets while there.  The roads have lines and there are traffic signals, but they are more suggestions than anything else.  I talked to a blind man who had grown up in that city and he assured me that blind people get around on their own.  With such unpredictable traffic, I'm not sure how they do it.  
In general, people with disabilities were treated with some measure of superstition.  Although, this wasn't true for blind people.  I'm not exactly sure why.  

On the other end of the spectrum, I studied abroad in Spain and was pleasantly surprised at how similar the laws protecting guide dogs were.  I probably had less access issues with my Seeing Eye dog in Spain than I did at home in the south.  

Anyway, those are some of my experiences.  I would also like to hear about other people's experiences.

-Greg
On Sep 13, 2011, at 4:10 PM, Bridgit Pollpeter wrote:

> This is a really good question. I'm curious to hear other experiences
> about traveling abroad. Airports may still hold to certain rights or
> laws as we do in America, but countries themselves don't.
> 
> While visiting another country, a friend was outraged when he wasn't
> allowed to enter places with his service dog. He ranted and raved about
> rights and regulations, thankfully not in the presence of people from
> this country, but I finally had to remind him that American laws don't
> always apply in other countries. It was a sobering fact for a lot of
> people because we hadn't really thought about it before.
> 
> Another blind person I know traveled to China to complete the process to
> adopt a child from there. Disability, blindness in particular, is
> apparently viewed as a curse in many Asian countries. I've never been
> able to determine if this is an accepted concept, or just left-over
> superstitious ideas steeped in a culture once adhering to such ideas, as
> most cultures, ours included, once did. Regardless, it is now illegal
> for blind people to adopt from most Asian countries.
> 
> Anyway, my friend and his newly adopted daughter were both blind, and
> people would often follow them around shops or restaurants wiping
> surfaces up they had touched to "get rid" of any trace of the "curse"
> that could contaminate others. And this is if they were allowed inside
> to begin with.
> 
> Let me follow this by saying I'm not posting with the intent to create
> propaganda supporting racism or denouncing one culture; if this was my
> intent, I'd begin with America. I simply am pointing out that once we
> leave American soil, we don't always retain the same privileges and
> rights afforded us here; of course many of these should be givens, hence
> why I'd make America my first target on a pamphlet causing
> anti-establishment propaganda . *smirk*
> 
> I wonder if others have encountered situations while visiting another
> country, and how you handled it. I think it is important for us as blind
> people to be aware of other cultures and how they view blindness, and
> discover what, if any, rights we have to assert if finding ourselves in
> sticky situations.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog for Live Well Nebraska.com at
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
> 
> Message: 21
> Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:13:22 -0500
> From: Ashley <cumbiambera2005 at gmail.com>
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> 	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Flying with a Cane
> Message-ID:
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> 
> 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.
> 
> 
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