Jessie,
When I worked for the Department, I was sent here and there on various airlines. My job did not include an escort or a driver or a person to greet me at the end of my flight. All arrangements were made by either me, or when lucky enough to have one, by my secretary. My cane was my travel guide. Because I walked a great deal, I used a solid fiberglass Rain Shine Cane.
When told that the cane had to be taken from me and stored in a secure place, I said, "I depend upon this cane just as you depend upon your eyes. Do you surrender your eyes at the door?" "But the cane can become a deadly missile in event of turbulence".
I looked shocked, "Are we expecting to be buffeted about?" "That's not the point. Of course we hope we have a smooth flight. But in event we encounter severe turbulence, your cane must be stored in a safe locker."
"It slides into the overhead, or tucks alongside the bulkhead," I said. "It is not a weapon anymore than those heavy carry on bags stored overhead".
"I must insist on taking your cane. It is the law."
"When I need to use the toilet I must use my cane in order to travel safely to and from my seat".
"I will come and assist you."
"Do you assist everyone? A sudden lurch of the plane could cause anyone to stumble and fall into the lap of another passenger. Why are you only concerned about my safety?"
"I must insist on having your cane. The captain will not leave until I tell him the cane is secure and you are in your seat."
"I entered this plane on my own, using my cane. I plan to deplane using my cane. Travelling independently like all the other passengers."
"I will come for you after the other passengers are out of your way."
"You are missing my point. I will decide when I want to stand and exit this plane, along with the other passengers. You are not my escort, cute though you sound, nor are you my keeper, and not close to being my mother. I am responsible for me. You are responsible to assist me in the way that I request."
How does this story end? You know how. Either I surrender my cane or I hold up the plane until the airport cops escort me off.
So Jessie, to me it is a big deal. I simply will not allow another person to take charge of my life when they are not taking charge of the lives of every person on board.
The problem is not that I am less safe because I am blind. The problem is that all I am is that Universal Blind Stereotype. Sorry, I'm not. I'm Carl Allen Jarvis, blind these past 47 years, proven to be capable of traveling from place to place as independently as any other person, and damned certain that my cane is not going to become the captive of some pushy flight attendant.
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message -----From: J.RaylTo: Acb ListSent: Thursday, October 11, 2012 5:45 AMSubject: Re: [acb-l] Here's a thought about Laurie and the nonflightWell, I really do not see what is so difficult about the concept of being asked to stow your cane in a safe place on a plane. Its not like you need to hold onto it, or that you are using it on the plane. Its not like someone else is likely going to take it? Now I"m sorry, if my dog can be stuffed down underneath a seat, get her butt kicked by the bratt or adult in back of us and her nose kicked by the bratt in front of us a gazillion times, not be able to see a dang thing that is really going on, have her ears fill up with pressure and deal, have her bladder fill up and have to deal, be thirsty, etc. I'm sure, just very sure, your cane can ride where ever its stowed for the duration of that plane trip until its back all safe and sound in your little hand. And if you're really that lost without it, take control of your life and use a folding one which you can fold up and put in your own carry on where you can know right where it is, get it and put it away. <geesh>I just really, really do not see the big deal of all this: security checks, etc., etc.Some of you act as though its the invasion of a lifetime. <LOL>And, its likely only to get worse--not better.----- Original Message -----From: Chris CoulterTo: Carl JarvisCc: acb-l@acb.orgSent: Thursday, October 11, 2012 8:11 AMSubject: Re: [acb-l] Here's a thought about Laurie and the nonflightOh, I agree. Take a government agency, add people who take their jobs absolutely literally and you get insanity. What really astonishes me is that there are still people in this world who don't know what the white cane is for. The only thing I can think of in stories of discrimination against the blind involving planes is that someone actually believes the person with the white cane is posing as a blind person and the attendant or security person goes into Superpatriot mode.Chris
On Oct 10, 2012, at 9:00 PM, Carl Jarvis wrote:
Chris,That scenario is so off the wall crazy that it has to have come from the mind of Homeland Security. Where else outside of Alice in Wonderland could such insanity be hatched?But in fairness, long before we declared war on Terror and began terrorizing our own people in our efforts to keep us safe, see what I mean? it's crazier than Alice in Wonderland, airlines were practicing being stupid. I must have wrestled with a dozen shapely flight attendants over the right to retain my solid fiberglass travel cane."This could become a missile in case of severe turbulence", I was told. "I could become a dangerous missile, too", I told them. But no amount of logic, humor, begging or throwing a hissy fit could sway them from their preprogrammed course.And it has become ten thousand times worse now that we are really being protected. I had a fellow spend about twenty minutes feeling up the seams of my jeans in the San Diego airport last year. "Are you finding something there?" I asked him. no answer. "What are you expecting to find?" I tried laughing about it. Still no answer. But each time I commented, he bent to his task and began all over again. "Would you like me to take them off so you can turn them inside out?" No answer."You know, if you keep this up we're going to have to begin dating". Finally, as the line behind us began snarling that they were going to miss their flight, another person arrived. This one had a brain between its ears. "Keep them moving," she ordered in a tone that suggested torture if he did not.But it must have worked. My jeans did not burst into flame and the plane landed safely in Seattle. Around that same time across the United States a coupled of fellows proved that it is still possible to smuggle a device of mass destruction aboard a commercial plane.Someone did not check their jeans closely enough.Carl Jarvis----- Original Message -----From: Chris CoulterSent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 1:25 PMSubject: [acb-l] Here's a thought about Laurie and the nonflightI want to begin by saying that what I'm writing in this message shows
a real lack of training on the part of the airline staff. It's just
something to be aware of.
My husband, who keeps up with how criminal minds work and how plane
security is handled gave me something to think about when I told him
about the article and video about Laurie and her inability to get from
here to there on the plane.
According to Jon, staff on airlines are trained to look for scenarios
that can happen when suspected terrorists are on a plane. It goes like
this: Someone comes onto the plane. This person could be posing as a
blind person or could actually be blind. The "blind" person needs to
go directly to the bathroom. Someone has left a gun in the little
bathroom. Our person with the white cane then comes out; gets to her
seat; then asks to trade seats with the person sitting next to her.
Somehow the weapon gets from the blind person into the hands of
someone who is in line with the new seat.
Let me be clear: I don't think Laurie was doing this but the airline
staff was probably trained to look for just this type of scenario and
wouldn't let it go. Even before I knew about this possibility I never
had a problem sitting in a window seat and never asked to trade seats
with anyone. It just never occurred to me to do that. It might have
been the courteous thing to do but it may have triggered a whole chain
of events that didn't need to happen. We'll never know if the
flapdoodle happened because of post 9/11 training or not but things
like this come up with sighted passengers and it shouldn't happen to
anyone, blind or sighted. Airline staff shouldn't behave like robots;
they should be observant human beings.
Chris
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