[Ohio-talk] Questions About Flying

[Heather Leiterman]

Hi Robbie,
My family flies quite a bit. One of our favorite things to do is travel. We too have had the experience of them wanting us to use wheelchairs. We always politely decline and ask if they can take a side guide.
We do usually pre-board so that we are guaranteed to be able to sit close to each other.  I will be getting my second guy dog this summer and I will pre-board with my dog to ensure both the dog and myself are comfortable. Stand up for yourself! As long as you don't have another physical disability where a wheelchair would be helpful my husband and son and I don't see any point in using them. Hope this helps
Heather Leiterman

Sent from the iPhone of Heather Leiterman

> On Mar 8, 2017, at 11:31 PM, Robert Spangler via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello everyone:
> 
> I am looking for input from those of you who are experienced with flying.  I
> just returned from CSUN where I had a great time!  The flying experience was
> OK, but a few things occurred which made me think that I should ask you all
> for some advice.
> 
> First, what's with the wheelchairs?  Anyone who has a disability is flagged
> as a wheelchair passenger.  They always wanted to stuff me in a wheelchair,
> which I steadfastly refused.  I do prefer to go sighted guide through
> airports, largely due to their busy atmosphere and my lack of familiarity.
> Is this ill-advised?  Should I be attempting to navigate airports without
> their assistance?  It almost seems like it would be better to some extent,
> but I really just want to get through as quickly as possible.
> 
> During one instance, two assistants refused to help me when I turned down
> the wheelchair, so they had to call a supervisor.  He guided me to the
> bathroom, to get some food then to my next gate.  When I commented on how
> fast it went without a wheelchair, the guy agreed.
> 
> They always wanted me to preboard.  I know this isn't necessary, but it
> seemed rude to refuse so I just went when they came to help me.  There was
> one time, however, when they did not come and I just boarded with everyone
> else when they called my group number.  As a side note, I always preboard
> Greyhound buses, just because I'm afraid of pissing off the bus driver,
> which has happened before.  Oh OK and yes I do like it when I get an entire
> seat to myself, I must admit.
> 
> I seem to recall someone talking about a method for retrieving luggage in
> the NFB
> literature somewhere, but I can't recall where it was.  I would be
> interested in reading any literature about flying with regards to being
> blind.  Honestly, at this point I view flying as a necessary burden.  Maybe
> you guys can share some tips that will make it easier in the future.  I am
> always open to new ideas which will help to increase my independence.  Plus,
> my sister and I are both coming to national convention this year and we both
> agreed that we are not going to be forced to be pushed around in
> wheelchairs.
> 
> Thanks,
> Robby
> 
> 
> --
> Robert Spangler
> Secretary, Miami Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
> Ohio
> Spangler.robert at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Ohio-Talk mailing list
> Ohio-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Ohio-Talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/hdleiterman74%40yahoo.com