New Consumer Action Guide on Air Travel
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Email this pageThe Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (DHHCAN), of which AADB is a member, announced recently that a new DHHCAN Consumer Action Guide for Air Travel is available. This guide is based upon the recent update of the Air Carrier Access Act regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in May 2009.
The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) sets out requirements for disability access at airports and on airlines. These ACAA rules give protection from discrimination by:
- Prohibiting U.S. and foreign airlines from discriminating against passengers on the basis of disability;
- Requiring airlines to make aircraft, other facilities, and services accessible; and
- Requiring airlines to take steps to accommodate passengers with a disability.
“These new regulations clarify the rights of not only deaf and hard of hearing people, but also people who are deaf-blind,” said Art Roehrig, DHHCAN representative from AADB. “The regulations enable them to get to their plane and to their destination safely with less confusion on where they can go.”
The DHHCAN Airline Travel Action Guide for 2009 outlines the requirements that information and reservation services be accessible to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind through TTY, Relay Services or other technology. Televisions at airports must have captions turned on. A traveler who self-identifies that he or she is deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, has the right to prompt and accessible information throughout the terminal as well as all effective communications with aircraft personnel. Service animals are allowed to accompany a passenger with a disability in the main cabin of the aircraft. Airlines must assist an individual who requests help moving around within the airport terminal.
Because the airlines have major concerns about their ability to convey safety information to deaf-blind travelers and to assist them in emergency evacuation, they are permitted to require that a safety assistant accompany the deaf-blind traveler at no extra charge.
The action guide provides guidance on filing a complaint if the traveler experiences some form of discrimination. DHHCAN recommends that travelers file complaints with the U.S. Department of Transportation when any of these rules are violated.
The DHHCAN Action Guide on Air Travel is available online both as summary and as a full document in PDF. It joins the coalition's Consumer Action Guide on Captioning in PDF, which just received its third annual update.
About DHHCAN:
Established in 1992, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (DHHCAN) provides a forum for proactive coordination of information for addressing and influencing legislation. It also seeks to further the movement toward universal, barrier-free access with emphasis on quality, certification and standards. Twenty organizations are members of this national coalition of, for and by the deaf and hard of hearing.
Editor’s Note: This was excerpted from the “TDI E-Notes”, November 13, 2009. “TDI E-Notes” is an e-newsletter published by the Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc (TDI).