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From: Carla.Campbell@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Carla Campbell)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: BEING SEARCHED AT AIRPORTS
Message-ID: <17706@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 5 Feb 91 20:24:14 GMT
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Index Number: 13587

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 IO> NEEDLESS TO SAY, THEY ALWAYS HONOR MY REQUEST NOT TO BE
 IO> HAND-SEARCHED. HOWEVER, THERE'S MUCH AGGRAVATION BECAUSE IF
 IO> THEY'D LISTEN TO ME IN THE F3PST PACE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO
 IO> THROUGH THIS MESS....

You have no idea how uncomfortable that makes me, as a frequent air
traveller!

 IO> ...FOR A HAND SEARCH OF THE PERSON'S PURSE. NOW IS ALL THIS REALLY
 IO> NECESSARY? I THINK THIS IS WHERE ORGANIZATONS LIKE ACB AND
 IO> OTHERS COULD BE HELPFUL.

I could not disagree with you more strongly!  Such a policy of not
applying security measures to blind and otherwise disabled people would,
I fear, provide a perfect opportunity for terrorism.. Simply disguise
the terrorist as a blind man and bingo.. he can carry whatever he wishes
onto an airplane by saying "please don't search me.. it bothers me and
you might be gay...".  See my previous message for description of how I
handle the guide dog and metal harness problem.  As for my possessions--
I never have my purse hand-searched (or in my case, my backpack, as I
rarely carry a purse) because I send it through the conveyer belt just
like everyone else. I have never had to argue too long to get them to
hand-search my computer equipment-- I think they are used to it by now
from business travellers-- and while they look at things like
VersaBrailles funny, I have truly had only one bad experience with
security making me miss a plane while they tried to make myApple //C do
something without an electrical socket. That could have as easily
happened to a sighted person.

  I do think security personnel could be educated more in how to _treat_
disabled people and about computer equipment in general, but I do not in
any way, shape or form, think that I should be immune to as rigorous a
security check as my non-disabled peers. For garsh sakes, it's easy
enough, these days, with plastic explosives and the like.. let's not
make terrorism any simpler!!

                                                 --Carla

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