I get picked every time for the metal detectors and I am so happy that they no longer select randomly, and everyone has to go thru them. I will apologize to anyone who gets behind me when going thru, it is not easy to go thru a metal detector fast when you are blind and Disney has not yet trained the security to deal with blind individuals in the security line. I am hoping that since it is not random that they will no longer come up and grab my arm and pull me to to metal detector, since everyone will be going I am hoping that I can just follow everyone else, or have my dog follow everyone else. Since I usually skip the bag check I usually have nothing so it should be easier. But my dog always sets off the machine and it is worse because security people are trying to rush because everyone just wants to go thru, but since I become panicked when you start pushing me, my dog feels that I am nervous and she can't figure out why people are pulling and pushing me because she is able to walk me where I need to go, so she is waiting for me to give the command follow, but since the security men still have there hand on my arm pulling me I can't give the command. Then security for some reason picks up the handle, which is never allowed, it would be equal to throwing a w/c person onto the ground, that harness is my way to feel what the dog is seeing, the dog knows the handle is not to be touched by untrained people, there is a law that states that no one is allowed to interfere with the travel of a guide dog and a blind person, yet grabbing the harness of the dog to pull her out of line to wand her down interferes with our travel. Usually by the time we are done and it takes us much more tha 15 sec, I need to go and sit and collect my thoughts and give the dog time to recoup. So I apologize in advance to anyone who gets behind me as they now do not randomly pick just me out everyday but makes everyone go thru the metal detectors. I try to tell security that I go thru the airport at least once a month and never have a problem but the they are trained not to push and pull me, as a matter of fact I don't think any airport person has ever put there hand on me. I tell them how we do it, I take the harness off and let them take it thru metal detector, I the ask the dog to walk thru and sit, if the leash makes the medal detector goes of which it can happen but not usually, then I tell dog to sit and drop the leash, or if it does not, I tell dog to sit and I walk thru with the leash in hand. I then can not walk, I have to put harness back on and we are thru and I have my eyes again, I only had to take about three steps without harness. But since others are rushing to get throw, and staff refuse to keep there hands off me and want to just push me thru it slows it down even more. So please if you end up behind me I apologize but I will try to educate the security men to take an extra minute and learn to do it right, because in the long run it will be better.
I have already told Disney last year, and have already informed them that I hope they have educated there security this year (although just this week I got a message from a fellow dis member who tells me she is being man handled and touched by security and her dog is frustrated by the process also). I have volunteered to spend time with security if they would like me to show them how I do it, I would be more than happy to spend 30 minutes before park open showing them how to have me go thru the security without them touching me, and what would be helpful to get it done fast. without people behind me, and I assume many others, since this is how we are trained when we go to school for 28 days before we take our dogs home. I do not wish to argue that the law states or means something else, each state has a law, each state words it differently. My hope is to educate the people who come up behind me in line, it will take me longer, I am sorry but rushing it just so you get thru easier, does not help me, it actually makes it much harder and therefore slower for me to get thru.
