[nabs-l] Flying with a Cane

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Thu Sep 15 00:15:20 UTC 2011


Hi Chris and all,
Many blind people, including myself, can identify luggage by simply
standing right next to the baggage carousel and touching bags as they
go by. The bags move slowly enough that you can spend a few seconds
tactually inspecting each one and pulling up the one that's yours. It
is helpful to put an identifying tag or ribbon on any checked luggage
that both feels and looks distinctive so a sighted person can keep a
lookout for it if you don't find it immediately by touch. Oftentimes
other passengers waiting for their own bags will offer to let you know
when your bag is approaching if they see it. Finding one's bags
independently often goes a lot faster than waiting for airport staff
to help you, since there are usually not many skycaps in the baggage
area.
As for international travel, the only time I flew by myself in another
country was in Australia and New Zealand and they all spoke English.
I'd be curious to know how others handled airport travel in countries
where they didn't speak the language. I think in situations like what
Greg described, if assistance is offered I would definitely accept it.
The issue is that I imagine in some places assistance isn't readily
available, and in those cases it'd be hard to know how to navigate
without being able to ask questions of passers-by in their native
language.
I don't think there's anything wrong with using assistance if it is
offered, if that is what you prefer. I just want to present other
options that will work if assistance is not available in a timely
manner, or if you simply feel like venturing on your own and not being
tied to another person. Most of the reason I don't use assistance is
simply because I am not very patient when I travel and I usually don't
feel like standing in one spot waiting for an escort. I'd rather just
go on ahead. This is especially true when I get to my destination and
just want to get out of the airport and see people I am visiting, etc.
The other thing is that I prefer not to pre-board or to go through the
special "handicapped" or "medical" lines for check-in and security. In
fact, this is often what I end up fighting about most with airport
officials. I know this is a contentious topic, but I'll say I insist
on doing things the regular way for two reasons. First, the special
lines and preboarding simply aren't necessary for blind travelers who
have no other disabilities. I don't want to crowd those lines for
people who actually need them. The second reason is that I find I need
less assistance if I use the regular lines and board with everyone
else than I would if I used the special disability lines and
pre-boarded. If I use the regular lines, I can follow other passengers
around the mazes, but if I use the "special" lines, there are less
people to follow and I have to rely on more verbal directions.
Similarly, if I board with everyone else I have no trouble getting
down the jetway independently because I can simply follow everyone
else, but if I am one of the first people to board because I
pre-board, I might have to rely more on a guide (although by now I've
flown enough that I've memorized most jetway layouts anyway). So I
find those special accommodations actually make it harder for me to
travel effectively.
Arielle

On 9/14/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Arielle,
>
> Thanks for the information! This is great! I have a question on
> this for anybody who flies independently: how do you
> retrieve the right luggage from the carousel? In other words, how
> do you know which luggage is yours? Thanks!
>
> Chris
>  Chris Nusbaum
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance." -- Kenneth Jernigan (President of the National
> Federation of the Blind, 1968-1986.)
>
>   Visit the I C.A.N.  Foundation online at:
> www.icanfoundation.info for
> information on our foundation and how it helps blind and visually
> impaired children in MD say "I can!"
>
>
> Sent from my BrailleNote
>
>  ----- 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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