In addition to making air travel more accessible for oxygen users, this new rule will also provide greater accommodations for passengers with hearing impairments, requiring airlines to include easy-to-read captions for the hearing-impaired in its safety and informational videos. Airlines also must promptly provide the same information to hearing- and vision-impaired passengers that it provides to other passengers in airport terminals or on the aircraft – such as information on boarding, flight delays, schedule changes, weather conditions at the flight’s destination, connecting gate assignments, checking and claiming of baggage, and emergencies. The rule does not specify how carriers should make this information available to passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The DOT will seek further comment in a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) and will also address subjects such as accessibility of airline web sites, automated ticketing kiosks, and in flight entertainment systems.
The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), enacted by Congress in 1986, prohibits airlines from discriminating against disabled passengers. The DOT issued its first ACAA regulations in 1990 and has amended the rules several times since then. The new rule will be effective in one year to give carriers enough time to begin implementation of these provisions. A public hearing on the new ruling is scheduled in Washington June 3. The text of the final rule is available at www.regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2004-19482.
For more information on supplemental oxygen use and leading an active life with lung disease, visit http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.
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Are You an Alpha (A-1AD deficient)?
