My experience in the Detroit Airport on Christmas

I was very impressed that there were overhead boards in the security area at the Buffalo airport that were closed captioned. There was more than one of them also and that was good. I have never seen that before. The bad thing was there was nothing closed captioned at my gate. Therefore it was a bad experience for me. When the man was announcing the flights about when our plane was boarding over the microphone, I understood nothing at all. The funny thing was in the Detroit airport, they had nothing in the security area for the deaf people. There were no closed captioning monitors or boards for us to read anything. But at the gates, they had three closed captioning boards for the deaf people to read from. And I was very impressed that it told the time our flights were arriving and leaving and it also told us the time our plane was boarding. It was so good that it got to the point of telling us which people get to board first from certain seats, but then it did not tell me when I can board the plane from my seat number. So there was a problem there. But it was all good, better than how it used to be when they had nothing to help the deaf in the airport. And I felt right at home in the Detroit airport at the gate. So thank you for putting up those closed captioning monitors for the deaf people!

Another Complaint Letter I sent to the Airport asking them to improve Services for the Deaf

*HOW CAN WE HELP? When I went to check in my bags at the airport, I couldn't understand anything the lady was saying at the front desk. I am deaf and I rely on lipreading but it was hard to do that in there. Maybe you could install a button for deaf passengers to press when they are there to inform the airport services they need special assistance. Or have a closed captioned board in front of them that will caption everything the lady is saying to them. They had closed captioning boards at the gates in Detroit, which was helpful. I was able to see when the plane was boarding and arriving. There were 3 closed captioned monitors at my gate. But it did not tell us when people at my seat were supposed to board the plane and that was another issue. In buffalo there wasn't any closed captioning boards at my gate, and that was bad news. I did not understand a single word the gate attendant was telling us over the microphone regarding our flights. My daughter had to tell me when it was time to board the plane, I had no other way of knowing. Therefore my experience at the airport as a deaf passenger was pretty lousy. I did not feel welcomed and I wasn't given any assistance that I needed to understand what was going on.

Merry Christmas

I wrote a letter and sent it to the Buffalo Airport today

Deaf Lady traveling By Plane To: BNIAinfo: Buffalo Airport: On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 2:07 PM, Susana King wrote: To the person in charge of the Buffalo Airport's Services for the deaf people : Could you kindly read this article in my blog http://deaf47.blogspot.com/ on the Deaf Lady traveling By Plane? I have been deaf my whole life and I have very unpleasant experiences every time I go to the Buffalo Airport, not being able to understand what is going on there. Have they ever thought of posting a closed captioned screen or monitor at each gate so that they can close caption everything the person is announcing over the microphone regarding the flights? I have nearly missed several flights when I have arrived at the airport 3 hours early all because I was unable to understand a word being said over the speakers about my flights. This is a huge problem for most deaf people and are they doing anything about it yet? It seems so unfair that deaf people like me have to pay for our flights but yet we don't get treated with respect when it comes to being able to understand when our flight is leaving. One time I even had to ask the attendant at the gate to let me know when my plane was boarding, by waving his hands and he forgot and I missed my plane. I was very impressed with the changes they made in the security area. I was so happy to see that they closed captioned information there on what can and can't be taken through there. The first time I have seen that was in December 2012, and I am so grateful for that. After all these years it was about time to do something there to help deaf people understand what is going on. The problems started when I had to walk through the security area., The guards were telling me what I had to do and I didn't understand or hear a word they were saying. They were very hard to lipread because they did not look straight at me when they spoke and they talked fast and pretty low also. So I just had to guess by using common sense and just saw what everyone else did to get through and did it that way. Is it possible for them to teach the people who work at security to use sign language for the deaf? What about putting more screens up right in front of the place where we have to put our things in the containers to be scanned and close caption what we have to do with simple directions? People like me are deaf, I cannot hear them at the security. Can the airport provide more help for the deaf people? My daughter is only 17, she shouldn't have to be the one to get me through the airport and on the plane on time every time I go. That really isn't fair to her. Please, I'm begging you to inform the Buffalo Airport to make life a little easier for the deaf to fly on a plane. Sincerely, Susana King

Deaf Lady traveling By Plane

So I haven't been inside an airport in a year. So I was traveling again for the holidays. Finally parked my car in the over packed parking lot and waited for a shuttle bus. It came pretty fast, it was so cold out. Once I sat down, the driver asked me a question, and I didn't understand or hear a word he said. Luckily my daughter took over and talked for me. He just wanted to know where we parked so we could remember how to get back to our car. He dropped us off at the airport entrance and said Merry Christmas, so I smiled and waved him off. We went inside to check in our bags. The lady standing in the front asked me a question and I didn't understand her either, so I told her to repeat it. She just wanted to know if I had my boarding pass and I said yes. By now, I was getting frustrated not being able to understand anyone that worked in this place. She gave me a smile when I told her I was deaf, so I felt a little better. Then we checked in our bags, and that lady waved us off. We head over to the security gate, and I was amazed to see something new hanging in air. There were a few overhead monitors that were closed captioned telling us what can and can't be put through the security area. And I said Yes! Finally the airport is doing something for deaf people. But they didn't do enough. It was time for me to check through my things and to walk through the security line. I didn't know when to walk through and what to do, I couldn't hear or understand what the people were saying to me at the security line. And I got nervous, I just did whatever the person in front of me did and walked through. Was glad it was over with and got my things and headed to the gate thinking everything is closed captioned now, oh I was so wrong. Made it to the gate, nothing was closed captioned there. The man at the gate was announcing over a microphone about when the flights were boarding and so on, I didn't understand a word he said. I saw them open the door for people to walk to the plane, but yet, I did not know when I was supposed to go in. He kept talking on that microphone I understood nothing. I couldn't even lipread because he had his mouth covered and he was going too fast. So I gave in and asked my daughter to direct me when it was time to get on the plane, and she did. Thank god for that. Ran into my chiropractor who happened to be on the same plane as us. Waved to him and he smiled and said a few words, couldn't hear him, it was too noisy on the plane. So I just waved to him and headed to my seat. So we sat down and then they were announcing something over the speakers and did some kind of demonstration and I heard and understood nothing. Plane finally takes off up into the air and I'm getting thirsty. But all they served was peanuts and cookies that looked like dog biscuits. They gave me one and I tossed it. Why on earth do they serve us junk when they make money off us and then they can't serve some decent snacks? They didn't even give us anything to drink on the whole flight. Not even bottled water. Anyway we made it safe to our destination. Now I am very disappointed in the airport, by now I thought they would of had more resources for the deaf to help them understand what was going on wit their flights. And there was nothing past the gate. Oh well, that's life for deaf people like me.

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