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From: Nilesh Singit's Blog: Disability News Wolrdwide
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2012 2:28 PM
Subject: [New post] Airline iPad Policy Sparks Disability Dispute
Nilesh Singit posted: " American Airlines is taking heat for requiring a
teen who is nonverbal to stow the iPad she relies on to communicate during a
recent flight. Carly Fleischmann, a 17-year-old with autism from Toronto,
lambasted American Airlines on her Facebook page " Respond to this post by
replying above this line
New post on Nilesh Singit's Blog: Disability News
Wolrdwide
Airline iPad Policy Sparks Disability Dispute
by Nilesh Singit
American Airlines is taking heat for requiring a
teen who is nonverbal to stow the iPad she relies on to communicate during a
recent flight.
Carly Fleischmann, a 17-year-old with autism from
Toronto, lambasted American Airlines on her Facebook page earlier this week for
limiting access to the iPad she uses to speak. On her way home from Los Angeles
last Friday, Fleischmann said that a flight attendant told her to put away the
tablet for takeoff and landing and was unwilling to bend even after
Fleischmann’s aide explained that it was a communication device. “She stated to
me that it was the policy of the airlines that I couldn’t have my iPad and that
with all her years of flying that she’s never seen or heard anybody using an
iPad to communicate before,” wrote Fleischmann, who said that her communication
needs have always been accommodated by the crew on previous flights.
“My iPad to me is like a voice. Can you imagine
being on the airplane and (being) asked not to talk for over 25 minutes,” she
wrote, adding that she was ultimately allowed to keep her iPad out after the
captain of the plane intervened but the device had to be placed “in front of my
seat out of my reach.” Fleischmann, whose intellectual capabilities went
unknown until age 11 when she began to type, is well-known with her story
having been featured on ABC News, CNN and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” among
others. She has a strong social media presence with over 42,000 fans on
Facebook and some 26,000 Twitter followers and they were quick to respond,
flooding American Airlines’ Facebook page to demand answers. Airline officials
responded directly to many of the postings indicating that they have reached
out to Fleischmann privately, but that the flight attendant acted in compliance
with the airline’s policy and federal rules.
“Our flight attendants are responsible for
following U.S. Department of Transportation regulations on the accommodation of
customers with disabilities,” airline spokesman Ed Martelle said in a statement
to Disability Scoop. “American’s electronic device policy is designed to be in
full compliance with the DOT. Likewise, federal safety rules require the
stowage of personal items during takeoff and landing and prohibit the use of
electronic devices at the same periods. We regret any discomfort Carly felt or
difficulty this may cause customers.” Federal rules and American Airlines’
policy on the use of electronics make exceptions for certain medical devices
including hearing aids and pacemakers but do not specifically mention assistive
and augmentative communication devices.
Late Wednesday, Fleischmann said she was working
to get a meeting with representatives of American Airlines and the Federal
Aviation Administration to discuss the matter.
By Michelle Diament
August 16, 2012
Disability Scoop
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Nilesh Singit | August 18, 2012 at 14:28 | Tags:
UNCRPD | Categories: Accessibility, Advocacy, Disability, Disability Studies,
Discrimination, Technology | URL: http://wp.me/pyosb-kR
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