Disability Travel - Resources for Hearing Impaired Flyers

Does anyone know of a website or resources for air travellers who are hearing impaired? I frequently do not hear gate announcements, and the GA's never remember to come tell me the info.

http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/horizons.htm#AtTheAirport (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/horizons.htm#AtTheAirport)

See "At The Airport" and "Getting On and Off the Plane". I always prefer to "print-out" any information I need, and take it with me in case I meet a GA or FA who isn't aware of a particular rule.

Does anyone know of a website or resources for air travellers who are hearing impaired? I frequently do not hear gate announcements, and the GA's never remember to come tell me the info.

There''s no website to help with those things. Just keep your eyes open, or ask constantly for updated info.

Somebody could create a job making airlines deaf friendly!

I'm going to try to ask a question while treading very carefully - I have no wish to offend anyone.

I've been smacked down a couple of times for implying that deafness is a disability. If this is in fact the general consensus (deafness is not a disability), then is it possible the travel industry doesn't see any need to provide accommodations?

I am partially deaf and I am disabled. I don't have any problem with that.

I'm also Australian - things may be different in the USA.

There are very few accomodations that can be made, however. I understand the Australian acent just fine, but have a lot of trouble with other accents, particuarly of people to whom English is a second language (ESL). There are ever increasding numbers of ESL people in Australia and frankly it's getting harder and harder for me. I can't understand the current people who run my post office, for example.

For me, just asking is not a reliable way to find out what is going on!

Audrey

I'm going to try to ask a question while treading very carefully - I have no wish to offend anyone.

I've been smacked down a couple of times for implying that deafness is a disability. If this is in fact the general consensus (deafness is not a disability), then is it possible the travel industry doesn't see any need to provide accommodations?

Ooh! I don't know if you want to go there or not. In answer, I quote I. King Jordan, former President of Gallaudet University. He said, "Deaf people can do anything except hear." The travel industry does not think that way though, so I would answer your question as "No."

Have you checked out the mobile websites of the airline you fly? So not the regular website on which you would book etc. but the actual mobile website (there's a difference between both for some airlines).

Can't be confident about other airlines, but for instance continental will post this info -and a lot more- on their pda.continental.com under 'check flight status'. They'll update it frequently, also. Gate, which baggage carrousel, you name it and it's on there.

Especially with the rise of the smartphone and more and more customers wanting to be up to date every second -read; make sure they didn't miss an upgrade because the GA or FA didn't inform them-, these forms of information supply become more and more the norm. Heck, I even use it all the time to have an idea of how full a flight is going to be if I haven't already been told at check in -which is the norm for me-.



Katja; I guess sometimes there's no doing right, never mind what you do or don't do.

Somebody could create a job making airlines deaf friendly!

I have been involved on some committees while with US Airways/Mesa and have sent suggestions to Continental Airlines while an employee of Continental Express...

Just because you are Deaf does not give the Airlines a reason to not hire you or exclude you due to reasonable accommodations, that is illegal and should be reported to the appropriate authorities in the Government and the corporation as well.

Look at myself as an example...I am Deaf however very educated and can work with Hearing people without the use of an interpreter and have held corporate & customer service positions in the industry.

The Website does seem like an excellent idea and I could work on something for Deaf/Hearing Impaired Flyers myself.