Hello and welcome to the Disability Law Lowdown ASL podcast. My name is Lori Mallory and I am one of your hosts for this podcast.

Today we will be talking about the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The Air Carrier Access Act was passed in 1986. New regulations went into effect on May 13, 2009. The purpose of these regulations is to carry out the ACAA.

Both U.S. and foreign air carriers are prohibited from discriminating against passengers on the basis of disability. Both U.S. and foreign air carriers are required to make aircraft, other facilities, and services accessible. Air carriers also must take steps to accommodate passengers who have a disability.

So what does this mean for the deaf and hard of hearing community? Several parts of the new regulations affect our community and I am going to go through a few of those today.

Airlines can require passengers with disabilities to provide up to 48 hours’ advance notice. And you know that normally you need to arrive at the airport about an hour ahead to check your bags and so forth. Of course, that time depends on your area. Some places require an hour, some require an hour and a half. If you need certain services or accommodations, you need to add an hour to that check in time. That extra time is needed to set up specific accommodations.

The two situations that might involve individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are: If you are traveling with a service animal or if a passenger has both severe hearing and vision impairments. If you bring a service animal, airports are required to provide relief areas for service animals.

An air carrier may not require a passenger with a disability to travel with another person, or a personal or safety assistant. But there is an exception that states that it is alright for the airline to require that a safety assistant or other person travel with the a passenger who has both severe hearing and severe vision impairments, and if the passenger cannot establish some means of communication with carrier personnel that is adequate. They may require someone to travel with the individual to help with communicating the the safety briefing that must be given to passengers, The passenger must also be able to evacuate the plane in an emergency. The airline may require such passengers who want to travel without a safety assistant to notify the airline at least 48 hours in advance to provide this explanation.

Air carriers are not allowed to impose special charges on passengers with a disability for providing services or accommodation required by the ACAA.

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