[NFB-NM] United Will Be the First Airline to Offer Braille Inside Its Cabins

[nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com]

The following article comes from this link:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/united-first-airline-braille-cabins
 
United Will Be the First Airline to Offer Braille Inside Its Cabins The
airline is rolling out a different kind of bumpy ride for its
visually-impaired passengers.
 
By Jake Rossen | 2:37 PM EDT 
 
United is making it easier for the blind and visually-impaired to get around
on its aircraft. / United Air travel is always a struggle, with cramped
seating, congested security checkpoints, and delays. But United is hoping a
major milestone in the industry will make things a little easier for
visually-impaired travelers. The airline is introducing Braille to select
cabin surfaces.. In a press release , the company said it's rolling out the
tactile signage to help passengers identify seat rows and numbers, as well
as lavatories. The move would potentially benefit the more than 6 million
Americans who have some level of vision loss and the 1 million who are
blind.. United has said it's the first airline to incorporate Braille on
board its aircraft. Currently, those with difficulty seeing have to try to
keep count when walking past seat rows or ask for assistance from the flight
crew.. "Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something
most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a
challenge to do independently," Linda Jojo, executive vice president, chief
customer officer for United, said in the statement. "By adding more tactile
signage throughout our interiors, we're making the flying experience more
inclusive and accessible, and that's good for everyone. Braille signage
underneath an overhead compartment. / United United is also looking to
incorporate raised lettering and numbering on cabin surfaces, along with
other modifications. The work is being planned with the cooperation of
advocacy groups like the National Federation of the Blind and the American
Council of the Blind.. Braille is a system of raised dots that was invented
by French educator Louis Braille in 1824. As a child, Braille suffered an
accident that led to a loss of vision in both eyes. While a student at the
Royal Institute for Blind Youth, Braille adopted a French military system of
communication that utilized dots arranged in grids. His streamlined version
was widely accepted.. Contrary to the notion using Braille can be slow, many
can do it more quickly than a visually-capable person can read: up to 400
words per minute, compared to a sighted person's average of 300 words per
minute.. Currently, about a dozen of the airline's 900 planes are equipped
with Braille. United expects the entire fleet (minus regional jets) to be
modified by the end of 2026.
 
 
 
Best wishes,
 
Tonia Trapp, secretary
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
 
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