[ SHOWGSD-L ] HEY! DONT IGNORE THIS!URGENT REQUEST for HELP on AIR TRAVEL & SERVICE DOGS
- From: <tho@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <RihadinK9@xxxxxxx>, <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <GSD_Today@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <TotalGSD@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <sheltieoldlines@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <SheltieBreeders@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <realdogtraining@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:52:41 -0800
This a big deal people! Please go write letters!
Tami
T-Ho Shepherds since 1979
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] URGENT REQUEST for HELP on AIR TRAVEL & SERVICE DOGS
> PLEASE PASS ALONG!!!
>
> Our students and graduates as well as my own service dog and I urgently
> need your help. The Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has proposed new
regulatory
> language on air travel with a service animal. If adopted "as is," this
new
> language will deprive many disabled persons of the right to fly with
their
> assistance
> dog in the plane cabin.
>
> Below my signature, you can read IAADP's updated Public Comment letter
> which I helped to write. It will explain the details of this apalling
change to
> the regulatory language. We focus just on the seating issue....... for
as
> a disabled friend pointed out the other day, "if you can't even fly with
> your assistance dogs......none of the other proposed changes will
matter."
>
> He tells me that we need to generate thousands of letters if we hope to
be
> taken seriously by the government and the airlines. As of yesterday, we
> counted LESS than 130 letters on the government's Public Comment website
which
> oppose this despicable attack on the access rights of disabled
passengers.
> It has become obvious our advocacy network needs more than one person
[me]
> appealing for letters of protest.
>
> PLEASE ask your friends, co-workers, other dog lovers to join you in
> writing a short letter. If members of the public begin writing letters
supporting
> the objections of disabled passengers to this policy change, it could
have
> a tremendous impact on the way the airlines and DOT officials treat our
> pleas for re-consideration of this issue.
> I invite you to visit _www.iaadp.org_ (http://www.iaadp.org) where I
posted
> an Emergency Action Call. You will find a Sample Outline of a Public
Comment
> Letter, other good information.....or you can use the Link at bottom
of
> this email to submit your comment direcly "on line".
> Please don't ignore this. The March 4 deadline for public comment on
> changes to the Air Carrier Access Act is fast approaching. This is the
most
> critical access issue in 25 years to confront the assistance dog
movement.
>
> Thank you for considering my plea for immediate action.
>
> sincerely,
> Joan
>
> P.S. At the very bottom of the email, I will provide the Link to the
DOT
> website for Public Comment on this issue. It will let you see your
letter
> posted there and /or read the comments of other caring individuals.
>
>
> Joan Froling, IAADP Chairperson
> Docket # OST-2004-19482-9
>
> Dear Docket Administration:
>
> We respectfully request you accept this updated comment.
>
> International Association of Assistance Dog Partners
>
> President: Ed Eames, Ph.D.
> 3376 N. Wishon, Fresno, CA 93704-4832
> Phone: (559) 224-0544 Fax: (559) 224-5851
> E-mail: _eeames@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:eeames@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
>
> Board of Directors:
> Chris Branson, Toni Eames, Jill Exposito, Joan Froling,
> Lynn Houston, Carol King, Michael Osborn, Devon Wilkins
>
> February 6, 2005
>
> Docket Clerk
> Department of Transportation
> 400 7th Street, SW., Room PL-401
> Washington, DC 20590.
> Docket Number OST-2004-19482-1
>
> Dear Docket Clerk,
>
> The vast majority of comments received by the Department of
Transportation
> (DOT) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rule Making have focused on
air
> travel with assistance dogs, the most common type of service animal used
by
> disabled Americans. In particular, the issue of assistance dogs unable
to fit
> in the floor space in front of passengers with disabilities has been the
> center of attention.
>
> Current airline practices of providing an empty seat where space is
> available or asking for a volunteer to share leg space with the
assistance dog, have
> created excellent working relationships between disabled passengers and
the
> airline industry.
>
> However, the language recommended in the NPRM suggesting that the
disabled
> passenger could be charged for an extra seat, asked to take a later
flight or
> have the assistance dog shipped in cargo are seen as threats by members
of
> the assistance dog partner community to their ability to travel by air.
The
> three options cited in the NPRM would have a devastating impact on air
travel
> by
> assistance dog partners because:
>
> 1. Purchasing a second seat is not a viable option since the additional
> costs would exclude most disabled people with large dogs from traveling
by air.
> It would place an undue financial burden on them and would be seen as an
> overt form of discrimination. A frequently cited statistic is that 70% of
the 54
>
> million Americans with disabilities are unemployed and more than 40% rely
on
> the federal welfare program. Disabled Americans constitute the most
> economically deprived segment of our nation's population. Finally, if a
flight is
> fully booked, how would being charged for a second seat solve the
problem?
>
> 2. Traveling on a later flight does not guarantee the issue will be
> resolved, since the same circumstances may exist on the later flight.
>
> 3. Shipping the assistance dog in cargo is a totally unacceptable option
> for IAADP assistance dog partner members. A number of comments already
> submitted have indicated, such separation was declared a violation of the
Americans
> with Disabilities Act by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the
Crowder
> case against the state of Hawaii. That this option is even suggested by
DOT is
>
> an indication of a lack of understanding of the work performed by guide,
> hearing and service dogs and the relationship of these canine assistants
to
> their disabled partners.
>
> Once again, IAADP recommends the following language be adopted as
official
> advice to in-flight crews and counter agents:
>
> "You may offer the passenger sitting in a seat adjacent to the disabled
> passenger traveling with a large service animal a seat in the same class
of
> service in another part of the cabin. If no seats are available in that
class
> of service, you may ask for a volunteer willing to occupy the seat next
to
> the disabled passenger requiring sharing of leg room. If no volunteer
is
> forthcoming and seats are available in another class of service in
another part
> of the cabin, you may ask the adjacent passenger or the disabled
passenger
> to occupy a seat in that other class of service."
>
> Using this approach to the issue of the assistance dog unable to fit
within
> the floor space in front of the disabled passenger's seat would not be a
> financial burden for the airlines or an inconvenience to other
passengers. It
> would formalize current air carrier policies and be a reasonable
accommodation.
>
> If the second seat charge is instituted, as stated in the NPRM, it would
> lead to a further loss of airline revenue since fewer people with
disabilities
> would be able to travel by air.
>
> Where every seat on a flight is occupied, at least one other passenger
> would be willing to share floor space with a guide, hearing or service
dog. That
> has been my experience and the
> experience of many other IAADP members.
>
> DOT and the air carriers should be focusing on the issue of access in the
> Air Carrier Access Act. The proposed DOT rules noted in this letter would
work
> against such access.
>
> Respectfully submitted,
>
> Ed Eames, Ph.D., President
>
> Click link below to go directly to the DOT Document Submission Form:
to
> submit a comment "on line"
> _http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/dspSubmission.cfm_
> (http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/dspSubmission.cfm)
>
> Use Docket Number OST-2004-19482-9
> Fill in Personal Information.....[ Answer "No" to query if it should be
> Confidential; Check "Comment," instead of Attachment for Type of
Submission ]
> On next page, write your Comment in the Box, then push the "submit"
button.
> "PERMISSION TO CIRCULATE" to others on the Net hereby granted by post's
> author.
>
> LINK TO PUBLIC COMMENT WEBSITE ......enter this into your browser. When
> you reach the webpage, scroll to the bottom. Click on the last button
as it
> will take you to the public comments on this issue. Use the "Reverse
Order"
> button at the top of the new webpage that appears so you can see the
latest
> comments that have been posted there, not the first few.
>
> _http://dms.dot.gov/search/document.cfm?documentid=303024&docketid=19482_
> (http://dms.dot.gov/search/document.cfm?documentid=303024&docketid=19482)
>
> Ginger Cleary, Dallas, GA_ http://www.rihadin.com _
> (http://www.rihadin.com/) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pet-law/) You
can't dance if you don't go
> to the party.
> _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GA-pet-law/_
> (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pet-law/)
>
>
>
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>
>
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POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org
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