I work at the airport helping those with disabilities. When someone has a disability, they put that in the system from the city they’re flying from.
So when they reach my city, I’m waiting in the jet bridge with a wheelchair.
Except they ALSO add deaf people. Here’s the thing, deaf people don’t need wheelchairs. So I’m just waiting in that jet bridge for 20 minutes as people get off the plane.
No part of being deaf would make a deaf person think “I need a wheelchair”, so they walk right past me, not even knowing that’s their wheelchair. So they don’t communicate in any way that they don’t need it, because they’re sane and wouldn’t assosiate being deaf with having a wheelchair reserved for you that you don’t need.
I once flew alone from Spain as a child and got registered as requiring assistance (due to being a child) There was an old blind lady on the flight with me. Somehow, they mistakenly thought that I was blind, and that the old lady I guess was just old. So they were dragging me around and saying all sorts of confusing things to me in Spanish, putting my hands on things etc. it was a weird experience for me, but probably worse for the poor lady. Eventually the confusion was resolved at the gate with some staff member saying to me in English “you can see me, yes?” While right in front of me. I was very confused, wondering if it was a trick question, but eventually we stumbled into understanding what had happened.
I work at the airport helping those with disabilities. When someone has a disability, they put that in the system from the city they’re flying from.
So when they reach my city, I’m waiting in the jet bridge with a wheelchair.
Except they ALSO add deaf people. Here’s the thing, deaf people don’t need wheelchairs. So I’m just waiting in that jet bridge for 20 minutes as people get off the plane.
No part of being deaf would make a deaf person think “I need a wheelchair”, so they walk right past me, not even knowing that’s their wheelchair. So they don’t communicate in any way that they don’t need it, because they’re sane and wouldn’t assosiate being deaf with having a wheelchair reserved for you that you don’t need.
I once flew alone from Spain as a child and got registered as requiring assistance (due to being a child) There was an old blind lady on the flight with me. Somehow, they mistakenly thought that I was blind, and that the old lady I guess was just old. So they were dragging me around and saying all sorts of confusing things to me in Spanish, putting my hands on things etc. it was a weird experience for me, but probably worse for the poor lady. Eventually the confusion was resolved at the gate with some staff member saying to me in English “you can see me, yes?” While right in front of me. I was very confused, wondering if it was a trick question, but eventually we stumbled into understanding what had happened.
“you’re handicapped? Sit yo ass in this, then we can work it out”
The wonders of inflexible bureaucracy! 😄