KAFO's & TSA Screening

[disneymomma01]

Hey everyone!! I was wondering if anyone has flown lately with someone wearing KAFO's or something like them. They have a metal post on the side, which I believe is titanium. Are we going to have remove these when my 10 year old goes thru security?? And if we do, I will have to help her, so how does that work with my own screening??

I know a few years ago we flew & they scared her to death. Took her aside & when we tried to comfort her, the TSA agent starting yelling telling us to stay away & we had to be rescreened.

Thanks for the info...we don't leave for a few months, but would like to start preparing her for what will happen!!

 

[disney david]

Hey everyone!! I was wondering if anyone has flown lately with someone wearing KAFO's or something like them. They have a metal post on the side, which I believe is titanium. Are we going to have remove these when my 10 year old goes thru security?? And if we do, I will have to help her, so how does that work with my own screening??

I know a few years ago we flew & they scared her to death. Took her aside & when we tried to comfort her, the TSA agent starting yelling telling us to stay away & we had to be rescreened.

Thanks for the info...we don't leave for a few months, but would like to start preparing her for what will happen!!

Most airports have these

http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/castscope.shtm

It basically a small x ray machine she might be able to go through this with out having to take them off. It just tsp policy not to let other passengers touch a person being screened. You have the right to be with her while she being screened but cant touch her.


http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1572.shtm

 

[bookwormde]

No they can not require an individual to remove a medical device of appliance. It can require a little more work for them to do a check. They are also not supposed to separate children from parents, however if you go back through you would have to be rescreened. This is why you should allways lead your child through the screeing since if your child ends up on the secure side, you can not follow to assist until you are screened.

bookwormde

 

[SueM in MN]

My DD can’t go thru the scanner because she can’t walk. She gets screened in her wheelchair and in most cases, she keeps her shoes on, they do a patdown and do some swabbing of her shoes to check for explosives.
As was pointed out, the TSA agents cannot insist that anyone remove braces or medical equipment. You can remove it if you choose to do so, but they are not supposed to even ask you to remove it and the information on the TSA website tells passengers not to remove it.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1370.shtm

It sounds like your DD would not be able to walk by herself without the braces on. You are correct that you would not be able to help her walk thru. The metal in the braces may or may not make the scanner alarm if she walks thru.
If it doesn’t alarm, she would probably not get any additional screening. If it does alarm, she would get the same kind of screening as my DD does.

Here is what we do.
DH goes ahead thru screening and then DD goes thru - she bypasses the scanner since she can’t get out of her wheelchair. One of the TSA agents normally pushes her thru the scanner bypass as DH is going thru the scanner since they are allowed to move between the screened and unscreened areas.
DH stays nearby while DD is getting screened. He can be close - up to about 3 feet - but is not allowed to touch DD until after she has been screened (the fear is that someone who has been thru the scanner and has completed screening could remove something from the person in the wheelchair and get it by the screeners that way).
After my DH has gone thru screening and is with DD, I start sending our belongings thru the X-ray machine. Once they are all inside the X-ray machine, I go thru the scanner.
That way, we always have one person on each side of security and DH is available to be near DD.

If it is only you and your DD, I would do as bookwormed suggested and go thru first, followed by your DD. Once you have been screened, you can go back to the ‘unscreened’ side, but unscreened people can’t go thru to the other side.

So, prepare your DD that you will be nearby and will be watching, but will not be allowed to touch her and she will not be allowed to touch you until after the TSA agent says she is done.
Prepare your DD that the agent will be touching her and her KAFOs with gloved hands. The swabbing will be done with a small piece of cloth held by what looks like a tweezers. The agent will rub that across surfaces like parts of her KAFOs and her shoes. They will make your DD wait without being touched by you, while they get the reading done on the swabs, which can take a few minutes. The more she can relax and try to do what they ask her to do, the faster they will be done.

 

[disneymomma01]

Thanks so much for all of the info!! This will be much easier for all of us during our flights!! Thankfully she is old enough to understand a little better this time around.

You guys ROCK!! Seriously!!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I do believe that even if she doesn't set off the alarm they may ask to swab down the braces, but without doing a pat down.

 

[buffettgirl]

and for all the bad rap that TSA gets we often find it's easy to just mention ahead that we have these items and these issues (son wearing an insulin pump and CGM for instance) and it just pre-warns them. And they know. And they're prepared. I know others feel differently, but for us it just works to give a heads up.

We also spend a good deal of time trying to prep for him a possible pat down....

 

[SueM in MN]

I do believe that even if she doesn't set off the alarm they may ask to swab down the braces, but without doing a pat down.

That’s a good point, especially since she may not be able to walk without her shoes. If someone indicates they can’t walk without their shoes, they also can’t be asked to remove their shoes to go thru the scanner.
But, if you don’t remove your shoes, they will almost always be swabbed.

and for all the bad rap that TSA gets we often find it's easy to just mention ahead that we have these items and these issues (son wearing an insulin pump and CGM for instance) and it just pre-warns them. And they know. And they're prepared. I know others feel differently, but for us it just works to give a heads up.

We also spend a good deal of time trying to prep for him a possible pat down....

We do the same things regarding our DD. Since she is not able to speak, we tell them that she can’t speak, but understands well. We let them know also that she will try to do what they ask, but will be slow at it because her muscles don’t work quickly.
We find that works well - as you say, they are prewarned and prepared a bit more. We have had very good response from most TSA agents and a number have said they appreciated it. We find it helps a lot in their dealing with DD; since they know she does understand, just may not be able to do things as quickly as they want, they seem to direct themselves to her more and seem to be more patient.

 

[CPT Tripss]

It's always a good idea to ask the Airport Security Screener to put on clean gloves and to use fresh swabs for each item checked for explosives. Sometimes there are false positives as "stuff" accumulates on the glove/swab when reused. Thes false positives result in more intrusive screenings.