The Transportation Security Administration is reviewing an incident involving a woman with mobility issues who used a homemade device fashioned out of ski poles instead of traditional crutches or a walker to help her mobility.
She was briefly delayed from boarding her flight.
The incident happened at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Xian Horn said the converted ski poles are more comfortable and easier to use. She said she has used the ski pools hundreds of times on flights without incident, but a TSA agent told her last month that they were ‘sporting equipment’ and therefore needed to be checked as luggage.
“My poles are my arms and legs. It was a very terrifying thought to be separated from them. I won’t be able to use the bathroom. Someone will have to carry me onto the plane,” Horn said.
Horn pleaded her case to the agent who was initially unresponsive and even allegedly said, “No, you made them this way! You did this!”
After more than a half-hour of bickering, another agent stepped in and allowed Horn to use the devices.
The U.S. Department of Transportation website defines an assistive device as “… any piece of equipment that assists a passenger with a disability in coping with the effects of his or her disability.”
Neil Romano, the former chairman of the National Council on Disability, said: “You have to have a little bit of common sense. You’ve got to make a decision. Is this sincere? Is this device being used for what they’re saying? I think every American could use a little more training in disability understanding and disability etiquette.”
There are numerous barriers to overcome when flying with a disability.
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