[nabs-l] Questions about getting assistance in airports

[Lucy Sirianni]

Hi Sami,

As someone who flies on my own very regularly, let me do my best 
to answer your questions.  First off, you don't need to apply for 
assistance at all.  I simply request it when I arrive at the 
airport, and this has never been in any way a problem.  You can 
request assistance in advance, but I have found that if I'm not 
"in the system," I have access to just as much help but am also 
more in control of the help I do and do not accept and can more 
easily refuse the help I don't need or want.  I do indicate when 
asking for assistance that what I'm asking for is an employee to 
do sighted guide with me, not a wheelchair, as misconceptions 
around this are frustratingly common in the airport setting.  
Finally, yes, you can certainly receive assistance getting to the 
security check-point if you would like it.  Generally, you'll 
want to ask for whatever help you want at the counter for 
whichever airline you're flying with, and an airline employee 
will then be available to accompany you from there through 
security and to the gate.

Hope this helps!

Lucy

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Sami Osborne via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org, blindtlk at nfbnet.org, 
travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 27 May 2016 13:53:03 -0400
Subject: [nabs-l] Questions about getting assistance in airports

Hi all,

I hope you're all having a great holiday weekend and enjoying
spending time with family and friends.

This August, I'll be traveling from my home state of NY all the
way to San Francisco, CA for a ten-day-long music camp for the
blind.  This will be my first time flying by myself without my
family.  I'd like to ask you guys a couple of questions about
getting assistance to the gate at the airport, which we, as blind
people, probably all need.

First of all, how much in advance should you let the airline know
that you need assistance? When my mom was buying the plane
tickets, she discovered that one of the questions they asked was
if I was a blind person with a guide dog.  She didn't answer that
because I only have a cane.  But on the airline's website, there
is no information regarding getting assistance if you're blind.
So I'd like to know if you'd need to apply for assistance well in
advance of your trip or just a few days before? Also, should you
do it on the phone or can you do it online?

Second, I know that they can help you to the gate, but will they
assist you with getting to the security checkpoint as well? When
I go flying with my family, the airport employees usually assist
me with going through security, so I already know that they can
do that.  But as for getting from the curb to the checkpoint,
would they be able to do that?

Third, as I mentioned before, this is my first time  flying on my
own.  I know that a lot of times in the airport, they'll ask you
if you want a wheelchair, only because they assume the worst
about us.  I think you know what I mean.  Anyway, when I apply to
get assistance, should I tell them that I don't need a wheelchair
and just use sighted guide with whichever airport employee is
walking with me, or would I need to do that  at the airport?

I hope that you people who fly independently can help me with
this.

Thanks and happy Memorial Day weekend,

Sami

_______________________________________________
NABS-L mailing list
NABS-L at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for NABS-L:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/lucysirianni%
40gmail.com