Sometimes Friendly, Sometimes Not

The first thing you need to remember is that people are different and so are individuals who are DeafBlind. Even among those who are not disabled, you'll find plenty of folk who won't fly alone... or at all. Same goes for people who are DeafBlind. It's an individual preference. Having a disability does not change that.

I like to fly because it's fast and doesn't require help from an SSP. I've flown in and out of Akron-Canton, Cleveland, BWI, JFK and Philadelphia. My routine is to board the plane, tell the flight attendant I don't want any drink or snack and then sleep or pretend to sleep. That way no one bothers me until we land. It was smooth flying until recently.

Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not. Here's a look at two trips from Akron to Philly and back. You'll see what I mean.

In August of last year, I flew to Philadelphia to visit a friend and take part in the East PA Deaf-Blind group's pool party. This was right before I moved, and I was on an independence kick. So I hired Seniors Helping Seniors to take me to the airport.

We got a wheelchair, made it to security and reached the gate. The driver used my DBC to communicate with me. That's when I found out security confiscated my body creme and hair gel spray. Gosh, darn it!

I find it difficult to deal with travel sized toiletries because they are small and hard to identify. I planned to check that bag, so I brought full sized products. I don't know why, but they didn't check the bag on either trip. I could live without lotion and hair spray, so I just let it go.

It was almost time to board. I was reading a book. My driver said he had to leave. That was fine.

I started to wonder if my razor blades made it through security. I checked my luggage, and they were there. Go figure.

But something was missing. I had to look through my items several times to realize what they took -- my disposable Cochlear Implant batteries. These are a special item you must order online. You can't just go to a pharmacy and buy a box like you do with hearing aid batteries. Without the batteries, my cochlear implants don't work. Without my CI's, I'm totally blind and stone deaf. That's when I lost it.

There I was, the warrior, Ms. Experienced DB Traveler, reduced to tears. I was in an awful panic attack and cried during most of the flight. It scared me to think I'd be spending several days in a strange place with no sound. I can't hear much, but what I do hear is totally precious. I'm lost without it.

When we got to Philly, they put me on this cart contraption with two wheelchair seats in front. I was not thinking well at all. We got to baggage claim, even though I had no baggage to pick up. That's when I realized my bags were missing. The airport staff person kept talking to me. I didn't understand. I was getting more and more aggravated by the second.

By this point, the wheelchair cart was gone. I was standing, which makes communication harder. I showed the woman how to do print-on-palm, but she wouldn't try it. I finally insisted on a seat. "Sit, sit... I must sit in a chair!"

Once I could sit, I instructed the woman on how to use my DBC. She had no problem with this system. She told me she'd have to go looking for my bags. I was left alone in a chair at that gigantic airport.

Where was my friend? Good question. He was waiting at a baggage claim on the other side of the airport. He found me before the staff person came back. Eventually, we located my bags and could leave.

I had a nice visit with my friend. He has a CI and had some disposable batteries I could use. Thankfully, everything was fine on the return trip.

I went back last week for another visit and another pool party. My friend was worried about the batteries. He wanted to buy some just in case. I wouldn't tell him what kind I use. I was going to mail him some but never got around to it. So he ordered batteries and paid for overnight shipping. Why didn't I just let him do that weeks ago?

I was worried about a more recent habit of airlines refusing to let DeafBlind Individuals fly alone. CoCo, who is a motivational speaker and has travelled on over 1,000 flights all around the world was kicked off a flight in Canada. During that same week, two DeafBlind people in Florida were not permitted to board the plane that would take them to Deaf-Blind Camp of Maryland. What is going on here?

When in doubt, bring your daddy. My father's rule is clear: No one messes with his daughter.

With my parents' aid, I made it through security with no trouble. They checked the bag with my batteries and took nothing from my carry-on.

My flight was delayed, but that happens often enough. We hit a big "uh-oh" when it was time to board. I had to climb up stairs to get onto the plane. I can do that. But they wouldn't let me hold onto a rail. One person pulled my arms from in front of me, while the other pushed from behind. People are not as sturdy or stable as a rail. I was wobbling all over the place. They didn't listen when I asked to hold onto the rail. I thought we'd all fall.

It was a relief to get on the plane and sit down. I was day dreaming a bit when a staff member, who sat beside me, started talking about the air unit and other stuff. It took my brain a few minutes to realize the woman was fingerspelling. They had a staff member who could sign sit with me. That was awesome!

I made it into a wheelchair with my crutch and backpack. We got to baggage claim, where I found my friend but not my bag. Another search party was sent out, just like last year.

Good visit. Good party. Very, very good!

Getting back home wasn't going to be easy. We were stuck at check-in. My friend had requested handicapped assistance, but there was no wheelchair or staff person in sight. Philly is a huge airport. I couldn't possibly walk to the gate. Argh!

Time was passing. I was still sitting. My friend and his father decided to take me on their own. They had located a wheelchair.

We would all need to go through security.

I passed my pat down and lost nothing from my bag. My friend had to take off his shoes, but he managed to hobble through okay, although he did lose his pocket knife. It all went wrong with "Pops." His artificial knees kept setting off alarms. They finally did a pat down and used a wand over his knees.

Now it was a race for time. We sped through the airport as fast as our strange little group could. People were already boarding the plane. The flight attendant grabbed my chair and started down the tunnel. My friend called her back so he could say good bye.

Nothing major happened on the way back. We found my parents and luggage just fine in Akron. The insanity was over.

You must be thinking, "That's crazy! How can she put herself through all that?"

That's simple -- because I am crazy, and I want to be able to travel. I'm already planning my next trip to Philadelphia. Wish me luck.