The 1990s were a golden age of travel for people in wheelchairs. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 each contributed to making people with disabilities more mobile than at any time in history.
But then came the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and security measures at our nation’s airports changed drastically for everybody.
The federal agency responsible for security screening at airports is the Transportation Security Administration, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The TSA, with the assistance of a number of disability groups, has developed guidelines for security screening of passengers with disabilities and they have trained their screeners to follow these procedures.
We remind readers that these procedures are not regulations, but simply guidelines recommended by disability groups as the preferred ways to check persons with different disabilities and their necessary adaptive equipment.
In this article, we will provide some focus on the guidelines for screening persons with mobility impairments, as appropriate to our membership. Here we are able to provide only some highlights; for more detailed information, log on to www.tsa.gov and click on “Travelers and Consumers,” then, on the left side menu, click “Persons With Disabilities and Medical Conditions.”
When arriving at your airport, if you need to be accompanied to your gate by an assistant who is not traveling with you, you need to obtain a “gate pass” from your airline, allowing your assistant to go through security screening with you. TSA screeners will assist you through the screening process, but no further in the terminal. Passengers are limited to one carry-on bag and one personal item, such as a laptop computer, but these limitations do not apply to medical supplies and mobility aids carried or used by travelers with disabilities.
If you have medical documentation about your disability or medical condition, bring it with you; it will help the screener serve you better. There is a host of disability-related items, including adaptive equipment and the tools needed to assemble/disassemble it, service animals, ostomy supplies, and other medical items which you may bring with you, but all must be screened in the most appropriate method. And yes, you may carry medications with you through the screening process, but if you don’t want them x-rayed, you must request a visual inspection before the screening process begins. If you request a visual inspection, your medications and related supplies—including items such as syringes—must be presented in a separate bag and you may be asked to remove items from this bag to avoid contamination.
What about the personal search part of the screening process? First and foremost, you may request a private screening at any time during this process (it should be offered to you by the screener). You do not have to go
through a metal detector or be handwanded; you can request a pat-down search and are not required to explain why. A personal assistant may accompany you during a private screening, and you may request a chair if you need one.
For passengers with mobility impairments, it is important to inform the screener about your level of ability so he will know how best to assist you. The screener will help you with your mobility aid and your carry-ons and be certain that any bags hanging from your mobility aid get x-rayed. You will also want to tell the screener about any special equipment or devices on, or in, your body so the screener may take care during a personal search. If you are able to remove or put on your shoes, that’s fine; but if your shoes cannot be removed because of your disability, request the use of alternative security procedures.
If you have a prosthetic device, a cast, or a body brace, you should not remove it, but it will need to be seen and touched by a screener. Once again, you have the option to ask for a private screening. A lead screener will perform an explosive trace detection test of your prosthetic device, which involves taking a swab sample from its exterior. While you may need to lift or raise part of your clothing for this process, sampling areas may be reached by your lifting a pant leg or shirt sleeve or by raising a skirt to knee level.
For persons who use a walker, canes, or crutches, such devices will need to go through the x-ray machine, if they will fit through it. The only exception to this is the white collapsible cane used by some persons with blindness or significant visual impairment. You should feel free, however, to ask the screener for an arm, hand, or shoulder to lean on until your ambulation device is returned to you.
If you are wearing orthopedic shoes, support appliances, or other exterior medical devices, and you do not feel comfortable going through the metal detector or being handwanded, you may request visual and pat-down inspection and, again, in a private screening. You should not be asked to remove such devices during the screening process.
If you are traveling with a service animal, you should know that screeners have been trained not to pet or to interact in other unacceptable ways with your service dog and that you will not be separated from your service animal at all during the screening process. You must, however, remember to tell the screeners that your dog is a service animal and it will be helpful if you can provide documentation. You should also let your screener know the best way for you and your service dog to go through the metal detector. If the detector’s alarm is sounded due to the animal’s harness, the screener will provide a hand inspection of your dog and its equipment.
The TSA’s security screening guidelines also contain procedures for children with disabilities. Communication from parents or guardians to the screener is the key: tell the screener about your child’s special needs and abilities and provide suggestions for the screening process that will provide the least discomfort for the child. You should never be separated from your child during the screening process.
Disabled or not, going through the airport security screening process can be a stressful environment. If you know what to expect, what information to provide to your screener, and add a dose of patience, you should get through it uneventfully and be on your way.
Terry Moakley is associate executive director of Communications and Public Affairs at United Spinal.
