[NAGDU] Next Steps regarding Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.

Wed Jun 14 15:09:57 UTC 2017

Another potential option would be to limit ESAs on aircraft to dogs
(or animals) that are small enough to fit in carriers under a seat.
This way, people who travel by air frequently that benefit from the
presents of an ESA could still theoretically do so, but the animal
could be safely confined should it become overly stressed, excited, or
aggressive.

I am by no means saying that a service animal could never cause a
disruption, but ESAs by their very nature simply do not generally have
the training or socialization that service animals do. Service animals
who are out in public frequently develop the socialization to handle
most environments without stress, and the coping skills to handle
stress when it does occur. They also of course have the training
requirement to not be disruptive. Although air travel is different in
some ways from other public spaces, a dog that can handle being in a
crowded mall, grocery store, restaurant etc. should be able to handle
air travel. ESAs can not be in public places, and therefore generally
are going to be expected to handle so many new situations all at once
when traveling by air.

At the same time however, there are people who genuinely benefit from
the presence of an ESA and will handle their dog appropriately. This
could possibly be a way to still allow these people to benefit from
their animal. I'm not saying this is the right solution, but maybe
something along these lines would work. I am inclined to say there is
no need for ESAs under the ACAA, but then again I also know some
people who truly benefit from the presence of an ESA.

Judging by the last attempted negociations of changes to the ACAA,
proposing a solution to limit situations such as these without
imposing a burden on service dog handlers is going to be difficult, so
I think it is important to think through any potential changes.

Danielle and Thai

On 6/14/17, Stacie Hardy - NFBHOU via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I think this would be a great topic. I think educating others will be
> forever ongoing.
>
>
> --
> Stacie Hardy <shardy at nfbtx.org>
> President: NFB of Texas Houston Chapter
> Voice and Text: (346) 704-0190 or (832) 779-7477
>
> "A question never asked is an answer never known"
> "Live the life you want!"
>
>
>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 8:59 AM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> This isn't really about Delta, as I think others have said. It is about a
>> problem that might occur on any airline and did occur there. I once argued
>> with them because they wanted to give me a special pass for my emotional
>> support dog. I pointed out that he wasn't one, but they insisted that they
>> needed to make me a special pass anyway. But this has only happened once.
>> I think we need to continue to call airlines out as they do these things,
>> but the stuff seems so strangely inconsistent. It also seems to be getting
>> worse, note the situation on American, I think it was, and not only with
>> dogs.
>>
>> Educating gets old, yet we seem called upon to do it and also to speak out
>> regarding such events as happened on that Delta flight. We can't just
>> complain because emotional support dogs are going to make it harder for
>> us; we need to do something about it. Do we want a resolution? Should the
>> members visit about it at the NAGDU Meeting? What does anyone think about
>> next steps.
>>
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David via NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 7:11 AM
>> To: Heather Bird via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: David <david at bakerinet.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.
>>
>> I, too, share your involvement with several other listservs.  I have
>> searched and found no guide dog access issue reports involving Delta.
>> Would you mind sending references to a couple? or sharing the report you
>> filed on what happened to you on Delta?
>>
>> *David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL* *david at bakerinet.com
>>
>> *
>>> On 6/14/2017 7:49 AM, Heather Bird via NAGDU wrote:
>>>    I am speaking generally based on all of the articles I come across
>>> regarding access issues from the various airlines. There are some that
>>> seem to have more than Delta, American Airlines for instance, and some
>>> that are relatively good, that have very few, South West for instance.
>>> Delta is not the worst, but they do have quite a fair percentage. One
>>> thing we have to bear in mind in order to be fair is the size of the
>>> airline as well. Delta is pretty big and well-known. If a really big
>>> airline has 10 articles about access issues that I come across in the
>>> year, this might be the same thing as a very small airline having two
>>> incidents in that same year. I have had minor incidents on Delta and
>>> once on Jet Blue. I am on this NAGDU list, plus the Seeing Eye mailing
>>> list and the GDUI list, and in the past I have been on mailing lists
>>> for other schools from which I have dogs. Also, Jim and I have no
>>> lives and we often search google and or YouTube for access issues, so
>>> we see a large number of media stories regarding access issues,
>>> including those on airlines. I have not made out graphs and charts and
>>> plotted every single incident in a scientific method to see which
>>> airlines are the worst offenders. I just know that I have seen a
>>> goodly number over the years, from Delta, especially with non guide
>>> dog service dogs. Jim had a run-in with Delta that was moderately bad,
>>> although most of his run-ins have been with airport personally. I hope
>>> that helps to clarify.
>>>
>>> Heather Bird
>>> "They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I
>>> wasn't a Communist.
>>> Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
>>> Jew.
>>> Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because
>>> I wasn't a trade unionist.
>>> Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was
>>> a Protestant.
>>> Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
>>> - Martin Niemöller In our diverse society we must never fail to speak
>>> up in the face of Human Rights violations lest we be the next targets
>>> of such violations.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David via
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 10:12 PM
>>> To: Heather Bird via NAGDU
>>> Cc: David
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.
>>>
>>> I have had wonderful treatment on my Delta flights and I am unaware of
>>> Delta offenses related to service dog use.
>>>
>>> Could you provide further explanation regarding this comment, or the
>>> reason you made it, Heather?
>>>
>>> *David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL* *david at bakerinet.com
>>>
>>>
>>> *
>>>> On 6/13/2017 9:34 PM, Heather Bird via NAGDU wrote:
>>>> Delta is already one of the worst offenders for access issues related
>>>> to
>>> service dog use.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---
>>> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
>>> http://www.avg.com
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NAGDU mailing list
>>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> NAGDU:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/heather.l.bird%40gm
>>> ail.co
>>> m
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NAGDU mailing list
>>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> NAGDU:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/david%40bakerinet.c
>>> om
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NAGDU:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NAGDU:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/shardy%40nfbtx.org
> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dsykora29%40gmail.com
>