[NAGDU] My concerns regarding the DOT service animal forms

Wed Sep 13 18:49:32 UTC 2023

Hi everyone,

I had the misfortune of my dog nearly being attacked at the gate and on the plane by a supposed service dog (same dog). The first time it happened, I was standing in line to board and the second time happened when I had to pass the other passenger on the way to my seat. The solution to the problem is not paperwork, the airline staff should have been educated to know that they could ask the growling, snarling dog to be removed. We were not in the air yet, so they had two chances to ask the other passenger to remove his dog.

Stephanie

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 13, 2023, at 12:56 PM, Lyn Gwizdak via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> My solution to the business of the DOT forms is to just get rid of them,
> period.
> 
> Those forms are just useless. Or they can have the booking agents fill them
> out for us when we book flights.
> 
> I hate to say it, but have people with non-blindness disabilities fill
> theirs out since there seems to be no regulations concerning their dogs'
> training and control.
> 
> Lyn and Aristotle
> 
>> On Wed, Sep 13, 2023, 9:51 AM Melissa Allman via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Elizabeth. Yes, this remains frustrating to put it mildly. Would you be
>> willing to share which airline you are dealing with, as they all handle
>> this differently unfortunately?
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Campbell
>> via NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 12:44 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>; TXAGDU List <txagdu at nfbtx.org>; jpare at nfb.org
>> Cc: Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [NAGDU] My concerns regarding the DOT service animal forms
>> 
>> Good morning all,
>> I am writing to let you know about a frustrating experience I'm having
>> with a task that should be simple, which is to complete the required U.S.
>> Department of Transportation form for traveling with our service animals.
>> I am taking a couple of flights on a different airline as I usually fly
>> American which allows us to complete a form once a year and simply enter a
>> service animal ID number when booking our travel.
>> However, as has been said previously in town hall discussions and other
>> meetings, we don't have that option when flying other airlines.
>> Today, I tried completing the form, but I kept getting a popup window,
>> even with the latest version of Adobe and the latest version of JAWS for
>> Windows which prevented me from finishing the task.
>> I even called Aira  and talked to an agent who tried to help me via the
>> Microsoft Quick Assist app, but she ran into the same roadblocks.
>> 
>> I believe we have accessibility issues on two fronts including completing
>> the DOT form using software that is preventing us from completing tasks
>> because of a popup that won't go away unless one reboots the computer.
>> Then, we seem to have an issue with Adobe itself.
>> It's my understanding that we should be able to complete the accessible
>> PDF without jumping through hoops.
>> Now, I will need to email the form to one of my work colleagues who has
>> Adobe in hopes that he can help me finish the form.
>> 
>> Thanks all for reading. I know that I am preaching to the choir so to
>> speak, but this convoluted and unjust requirement for us who have already
>> paid for our airline travel must stop. We should not be penalized just
>> because we choose to utilize our service animals to further our
>> independence.
>> --
>> Elizabeth Campbell
>> _______________________________________________
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>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
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