[nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures

Wed Jan 28 18:54:07 UTC 2009

Dear All,
    In an affidavit concerning allergies to dog dander for a legal decision 
regarding Allergies and religion for the City of Cincinnati, an expert in 
the field of immunology stated that allergies to dog dander that would rise 
to the level of a disability - "severely affecting one or more essential 
life functions" - is extremely rare. Such a person would react even to the 
presence of dog dander on an individuals clothing.

Fraternally,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (IT)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at ngc.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 10:53 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures


> Btw, I couldn't agree more with the below post.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of mhingson
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 11:14 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures
>
> Hi,
>
> The problem with what Nicole suggests is that once again the needs of
> disabled people who legitimately need service animals are put behind the
> needs of the nondisabled, in this case the people with allergies.  There
> is and should be no more reason for me or any blind person using a guide
> dog to provide advance notice that I will be traveling with a guide dog
> than there is for the person with allergies to give advance notice that
> they will be traveling and that there special requirements need to be
> accommodated.
>
> In the best scenario the person with allergies might be considered to be
> "disabled".  I suppose it might be possible for allergies to be
> considered an invisible disability.  If a person with allergies that are
> so severe so as to make them uncomfortable or severely ill should they
> sit near a guide dog or other assistance animal plans to travel on an
> airplane I submit that they are the ones who should notify the airlines
> in advance.  A legitimate assistance animal is visible while an allergy
> is not.
>
> Since animals traveling in the cabin are becoming more common it would
> seem to me that the responsibility should lie with the person with
> analogy to observe their surroundings and be aware of nearby animals.
> In any event I do not believe it is incumbent on me to bear the burden
> of proof or to be the one who has to be more responsible and be more
> singled out by notifying the airline in advance that I'm traveling with
> my guide dog.  I should not have to be the one who suffers the
> consequences of someone else who is not responsible enough or careful
> enough to make sure that their allergies are not activated because an
> assistance animal is near.
>
>
>            Michael Hingson,
> NSA
> President,
> The Michael Hingson Group
> 84 Bahama Reef
> Novato, CA 94949
> Phone Direct number (415) 827-4084
> Fax number (415) 883-6220
> Mobile/Pager (888) 965-9191
> Email info at michaelhingson.com <
> mailto:info at michaelhingson.com>
> For information on Michael's speaking topics, his availability, and his
> consulting services on Diversity and Access Technology for blind persons
> please visit < http://www.michaelhingson.com> For information on Guide
> Dogs for the Blind please visit < http://www.guidedogs.com>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Nicole B. Torcolini
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 2:44 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures
>
> My opinion on the topic is that people with service animals should
> notify the airline ahead of time. The people in the seats near that
> person should be notified of the presence and type of animal, so that
> they can switch seats if they are uncomfortable or allergic.
>
> Nicole
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Weiner" <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 12:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures
>
>
> Oh, allergies, I've heard the allergy excuse from cab drivers until I'm
> sick
> of it, honestly.
>
> Maybe those with allergies should inform the airlines that they can't be
> next to animals.
>
> Now, one sentence in the article makes me wonder.  It says that "many"
> blind
> people are using guide horses, do we know just how many?
>
> Cordially,
>
> Dan
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf
> Of Ginger Kutsch
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 10:57 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures
>
> Flying cats and other creatures
> By Ken West
> Published: January 26, 2009
> Lynchburg News, VA
> http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/lifestyles/features/article/flying
> _cats_and_other_creatures/12799/
>
> The once "friendly skies" aren't so friendly any more. Families need to
> take
> extra precautions when flying with children or older adults who have
> health
> concerns. An example follows.
>
> After New Year's, my son and daughter-in-law were flying from Dulles to
> Portland. Patrick and Sarah are both medical doctors in Oregon. During
> the
> flight, Sarah's eyes began to swell. She took on asthma-like symptoms
> and
> experienced difficulty breathing normally. Although doctors, both became
> worried as her symptoms worsened without any apparent explanation.
>
> Upon "deplaning," the two watched in disbelief as the couple sitting
> directly behind them pulled two cats in cages from underneath their
> seats.
> Along with 15 percent of the American population, Sarah has a severe
> allergy
> to cats. Unlike many Americans, she has immediate access to a colleague
> who
> is an allergist.
>
> Nevertheless, the next day she was forced to greet her new AIDS patients
> while wearing a patch over one eye and with skin speckled with rashes.
> She
> imagined the patients were wondering if they should be the ones wearing
> plastic gloves.
>
> Not so simple
> My initial reaction was to wonder why cats were allowed on planes.
> Quickly,
> I discovered that the issue is more complicated than I thought (see
> "Assistance Animals" below). While some airlines do not allow passengers
> to
> carry pets in the cabin, others allow owners to pay a hefty fee to stow
> animals under their seats.
>
> What remains inexplicable is why airlines are not required to check with
> and
> relocate people who may have allergies to animals.
> In addition, there are some people who simply don't like animals.
> On a long trip to Hawaii, I was forced to sit away from my family. I
> looked
> at the person next to me. To my surprise, I saw four eyes staring back:
> the
> passenger's and her dog's. It's not that I don't like dogs, but I do
> dislike
> the permissiveness of many dog owners. I was not happy.
>
> Fortunately, the stewardess asked if I would mind trading seats with a
> person who had asked to be moved and was also not seated with a family.
> But
> when I sat in my new seat, there was a man next to me who must have
> weighed
> 400 pounds and totally covered the armrest between us, and more. I could
> only smile, thinking that the person who asked to be moved was now
> looking
> into a dog's eyes.
>
> Assistance animals
> The most intriguing argument about animals on planes concerns which ones
> are
> truly assistance animals. We are accustomed to, and tolerant of, guide
> dogs.
> However, the definition of assistance animals is expanding. National
> Public
> Radio interviewed Rebecca Skloot, who writes about airlines and
> restaurants
> and people who advocate they broaden their views of "assistance
> animals."
>
> Skloot told of a man named Jim Eggers, who has bipolar disorder.
> He is now allowed to carry his parrot named Sadie on planes and into
> restaurants. "Sensing that her owner is on the verge of a psychotic
> episode,
> Sadie talks him down with, 'It's OK, Jim. Calm down, Jim. I'm here,
> Jim.'"
> (NPR)
>
> Many blind people have traded in traditional guide dogs for guide
> miniature
> horses, which can legally help their owners through stores and
> restaurants.
> Why? "Horses tend to live and work into their 30s, whereas a guide dog
> will
> work six to eight years total," Skloot explained.
>
> As readers can imagine, expanding the definition of assistance animals
> creates challenges. People are not required to prove their animals are
> trained to help with their disabilities (which also do not require
> documentation). Unfortunately, some people take advantage of the loose
> regulations. Stay tuned.
>
> Common sense
> Few people would object to a person taking an assistance animal on
> board. We
> would even have empathy for people carrying animals on board, which
> could
> not bear the temperature changes that might occur in a plane's cargo
> hold.
>
> However, I am amazed that airlines are not required to inform passengers
> that an animal will be near them and then to reseat people, if they have
> allergies or strong objections. Warning: If you or a family member has
> allergies, the skies are no longer friendly.
>
> Ginger Bennett Kutsch
> Morristown, NJ
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dcwein%40dcwein.c
> nc.n
> et
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wave
> cabl
> e.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/mhingson%40sbcglo
> bal.
> net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/rebecca.pickrell%
> 40ngc.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/swampfox1833%40verizon.net