Things are Looking up for Air Travelers with Disabilities

Editor: Back in Issue 12 of Volume 15 we noted that the Department of Transportation (DOT) had established a toll free line for air travelers with disabilities and was encouraging people to use the hotline if they believed they had been discriminated against. It turns out that there is a lot more to the story than that. The new rules also require airlines to record complaints they receive and to report to the DOT.

In my opinion, this is a wonderful opportunity for people with hearing loss to "encourage" the airlines to provide accessible communication. Don't understand the announcements at the gate? Complain to the airline and to the hotline. Don't understand the announcements on the plane? Complain to the airline and to the hotline. Don't understand the safety instructions on the plane? Complain to the airline and to the hotline.

People with hearing loss have been complaining about the lack of accessible airline communication for years. Here's a golden opportunity to do something about it!

Here are portions of the recent DOT press release.

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Beginning next year, U.S. and foreign air carriers serving the United States will be required to record complaints they receive regarding the treatment of passengers with disabilities and to report these complaints annually to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

This new rule, published in today's Federal Register, is part of DOT's continuing effort to work toward barrier-free travel by individuals with disabilities, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said at a recent forum focusing on issues faced by air travelers with disabilities.

The new rule will require all carriers operating aircraft with more than 60 seats to file with DOT records of complaints they receive regarding inadequate accessibility or discrimination on the basis of disability. Complaints will be categorized according to the passenger's disability. This will supplement information currently being filed by passengers directly with DOT that is summarized monthly in the department's Air Travel Consumer Report.

Participants at the recent forum, which included experts from the disability community, the airline industry, airline associations, airport service companies and government, shared information about what works and what is needed to improve the air travel environment for persons with disabilities. A number of issues were discussed such as ways to better educate air travelers with disabilities about DOT's Disability Hotline (voice: 1-800-778-4838; TTY: 1-800-455-9880), methods for improving the department's May 9, 2003 service animal guidance, and means by which passengers with disabilities can assist in making the air travel experience smoother (e.g., providing advance notice for wheelchair assistance even though such notice is not required).