[nfb-db] Fw: [Juno-l] Newspaper Article: Air Canada Challenges deaf, Blind mans right to travel

[David Andrews]

>
>
>hi all,
>i thought that you would all enjoy reading this. hopefully he wins and the
>airline loses.
>ken and blossom
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Blaine Deutscher" 
><<mailto:b.m.deutscher%40sasktel.net>b.m.deutscher at sasktel.net>
>To: "Juno - L" <<mailto:juno-l%40screenreview.org>juno-l at screenreview.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 8:07 AM
>Subject: [Juno-l] Newspaper Article: Air Canada Challenges deaf, Blind mans
>right to travel
>
> > Air Canada challenges deaf, blind man's right to travel alone; Burnaby
> > athlete says he is capable
> >
> > Janice Tibbetts
> > Vancouver Sun, Apr. 7, 2009
> >
> > In a case that balances passenger safety and the rights of the disabled,
> > Air
> > Canada is challenging a deaf and blind man's contention that he should be
> > allowed to fly without an attendant.
> >
> > The airline will argue in Federal Court that not allowing Burnaby resident
> > Eddy Morten to fly alone is justified discrimination.
> >
> > Morten counters that he has a system for safe air travel with his service
> > dog, he has been self-sufficient all his life, and that he has made many
> > past trips on planes, trains and buses.
> >
> > "I have never needed a babysitter," Morten, a father of two and a
> > Paralympic
> > bronze medallist in judo, wrote in an e-mail.
> >
> > "Air Canada routinely allows people who are blind, people who cannot walk
> > and people who may be very disabled due to aging to travel unattended. Why
> > not me?"
> >
> > Air Canada is fighting Morten in court after losing a Canadian Human
> > Rights
> > Tribunal decision in January.
> >
> > The tribunal did not order the airline to allow Morten to travel alone,
> > but
> > said he had the right to be assessed for self-reliance rather than
> > automatically ordered to bring an attendant.
> >
> > The tribunal, ruling that Air Canada had not met its obligation to
> > accommodate Morten to the point of "undue hardship," ordered the airline
> > to
> > pay Morten $10,000 in damages. Air Canada is not contesting the award.
> >
> > "It's the principle we're concerned about," said the airline's spokesman
> > Peter Fitzpatrick. "It comes down to the safety of the disabled passenger
> > and other passengers on the aircraft." Fitzpatrick cited the recent rescue
> > of US Airways passengers in the Hudson River as an example of a successful
> > and quick evacuation.
> >
> > The dispute between Air Canada and Morten began five years ago, when he
> > unsuccessfully tried to book a flight from Vancouver to San Francisco
> > without being accompanied by an assistant.
> >
> > He says he was "disempowered" by the rebuff and that he should not have to
> > shoulder the cost of hiring an attendant. While Air Canada policy has
> > recently changed to permit attendants to travel for free domestically, the
> > concession does not apply to international travel.
> >
> > The vice-president of the Alliance of Equality for Blind Canadians said
> > Monday that financially strapped Air Canada should be spending its limited
> > resources more wisely than on fighting a disabled man who wants to travel
> > independently.
> >
> > "There should be no blanket exclusions," said John Rae, who believes that
> > a
> > person's declaration they are self-reliant should be enough. Barring that,
> > each case should be individually assessed, particularly since there are
> > varying degrees of impairment, he said.
> >
> > Morten, who was born deaf but with good vision, has Usher's Syndrome, a
> > condition that caused him to gradually lose his sight. Now in his late
> > 40s,
> > he is completely blind in his left eye and has severely limited vision in
> > his right eye.
> >
> > Morten testified before the tribunal that he knows airline safety
> > procedures
> > and would be able to find the emergency exits by following the lights
> > along
> > the aisle. He also travels with pre-printed file cards containing such
> > phrases as "I am deaf/blind, to talk to me, please write on my palm in
> > large
> > block letters."
> >
> > He also says that he could see an oxygen mask if it fell in front of him,
> > and knows how to use a life vest if necessary.
> >
> > The airline will also argue in court that the human rights tribunal
> > overstepped its jurisdiction when it ruled on the case.
> >
> > Air Canada said the proper body to decide is the Canadian Transportation
> > Agency, which ruled in 2005 that the airline was justified in
> > discriminating
> > against Morten.
> >
> > Those with urgent issues pertaining to the health or quality of work of
> > your Guide Dog are strongly advised to contact your school's training
> > department. Training staff are in a position to offer professional
> > support.
> > _
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/attachments/20090603/c3eb6778/attachment.html>