TSA forces disabled boy headed to Disney to remove braces

[Mickey's Minion]

Personally, I've never heard of terrorists using disabled children as suicide bombers, but you never know. I've heard of them using normal children before, but never disabled children. I'd love to see the news stories from where you found that out, if you have them.

And anyway, if there's a four year old traveling with his parents who have been cleared already to check for terrorism, you're going to anger the family and force the braces off instead of wanding and patting the brace and not angering the family? They're both going to produce the same accurate results. Both procedures are going to tell you if th e kid is a terrorist or not. TSA definitely dropped the ball on this one.

The fact is, there is a procedure to protect the dignity and safety of a passenger requiring assistive devices--and they simply did not follow it.

Not one person here expected the kid to be waved through--but given his age and disability--common sense would definitely indicate that kid is unlikely to have a bomb--and could be screened in a different, safe, and more dignified matter just to be sure.

In 2008, terrorists used two women with Down syndrome as human bombs, killing 90+ people.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3287373.ece

Having a family member with a disability, I don't expect any special treatment just because they have a visible disability, but I do expect dignity and common sense.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is the first I've heard of this too.

What I don't get is why the TSA agents thought the boy could walk through by himself without his braces. If he would walk without them, he WOULDN'T BE WEARING THEM!

Based on my own experiences, I don't believe they simply assumed he could walk unassisted. I wouldn't be surprised if the agent ASKED someone - the boy or a parent - if he could walk unassisted for a few (or X) feet.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

In 2008, terrorists used two women with Down syndrome as human bombs, killing 90+ people.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3287373.ece

Having a family member with a disability, I don't expect any special treatment just because they have a visible disability, but I do expect dignity and common sense.

While unfortunate--that did not take place in the airport and nowhere has anyone advocated that people with disablities should not be screened.

Noone is advocating any special treatment outside of ADA--which it seems TSA has taken into consideration in its own policies that were violated by these agents.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

While unfortunate--that did not take place in the airport and nowhere has anyone advocated that people with disablities should not be screened.

Noone is advocating any special treatment outside of ADA--which it seems TSA has taken into consideration in its own policies that were violated by these agents.

No, it did not happen in the airport. However, I was responding to the statement that said that they had never heard of people with disabilities being used and the fact that several have alluded here that due to his age and disability, the child would not be a suspect.

Terrorists have no scruples. There are other examples of people with disabilities lured to their death by having explosives put on them. BTW, if you did not read the article, the bombs on these women were remotely activated, so they were just carrying them. They did not even need to know the plan nor how to activate the bomb.

I don't think the boy should be assumed that he wouldn't be hiding explosives just due to his age and his disability.

However, it sickens me that they forced a child to try and walk without his supportive devices. That borders on cruelty.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Personally, I've never heard of terrorists using disabled children as suicide bombers, but you never know. I've heard of them using normal children before, but never disabled children.

Disabled? No. What's to stop a determined terrorist from putting bomb- or weapon-filled braces on a healthy child?

 

[bicker]

"Given his age"--he was 4. While age guessing is fairly subjective--if a TSA agent was confused and thought he was a 35 yo, perhaps that agent needs a different job.

It's not necessary for a TSA agent to be confused. The point is that it isn't the TSA agent's job to factor apparent age into anything. You may have missed the point I made about there being established procedures. They prevail, not what, perhaps, someone (not necessarily you) might prefer to be the procedures.

Regardless, two other things: First, the youngest person established to be a terrorist was only 11 years old, not 35 years old. Second, many transgressors have used children to carry contraband that would have been discovered if carried on their own person.

It's "common sense" that if there are procedures then they should be followed. It's "common sense" that if your job is to detect deception then you shouldn't allow anything to distract you from your job, not even the apparent age of someone, not even the apparent disability.

"Claiming personal discretion"-- I claimed no such thing.

Expecting the TSA agent to do anything other than what the defined procedures dictate is claiming that the TSA agent should have applied their own personal discretion. If you don't believe that, then just say that we agree, and let it go.

Requiring someone who utilizes an assitive device to be mobile--to not use it to go through a metal detector...is AGAINST the guidelines period.

Which is non-sequitur, since the message you replied to clearly said that the procedures are what is to be followed. That was one of the biggest points made in the message you replied to.

Noone expected a disability to be validated on word alone

You keep saying that, but you haven't proved it, and that was another point made in the message you replied to. You can only speak for yourself. As I alluded to before, there are often other people who don't think of these things in the manner that you and I would mutually consider reasonable.

 

[j's m]

I heard on the radio this morning that Ryan Thomas is in the ICU at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It was not mentioned why, but they are requesting get well cards to be sent to him since he will be there at least a few days.

 

[tomthebarncat]

but what do people expect from poorly paid civil servants, who have too much power and clearly not enough critical thinking skills. I hope the family gets a lot of mileage out of this and the screener who did this is "canned like a tuna!".

 

[MichelleVW]

A couple years ago I was checking through Atlanta's airport with Christian in his wheelchair and TSA required me to be separated from him and then tried to get him out of the wheelchair so he could walk through the scanner alone. Oh nonononononono...this kid has the mind of a 1yo. Thank goodness they couldn't figure out the seat belt. Trust me, you do NOT want him wandering around the airport! I was very upset and reported them to a supervisor. We have not had that particular issue since.

And about 5 years ago I had to fly with a knee brace and crutches due to knee injury. They required me to take off the brace and hop through the scanner on one foot. i kid you not. This was in Newport News, VA. They did give me my crutches back afterward and carried my brace to a bench where I could sit down and put it back on. Another complaint to the supervisor.

Do they teach these people ANYTHING? It never occured to me to contact the media but maybe that should be high on my list if it ever happens again (and you know it will )

I broke my heel a few years back and could walk at all without my crutches. I was at the airport picking up my girls from a flight and had to pick them up at the gate. They told me they had to put my crutches through the metal detector, ok fine....then they said, "ok, now you go through" Uh hello...I CAN'T WALK!! This dumb chick says, "can't you hop?" uh ...NO!! So they gave me my crutches and patted me down which wasn't a big deal at all. But seriously asking me to hop???

Then a few months later I had to go back through the metal detector because I "wasn't walking normally?" Well no duh I had a huge limp from my bad foot so I limped. Apparently it's ok to hop through the scanner, but not limp?

The fact is, there is a procedure to protect the dignity and safety of a passenger requiring assistive devices--and they simply did not follow it.

Not one person here expected the kid to be waved through--but given his age and disability--common sense would definitely indicate that kid is unlikely to have a bomb--and could be screened in a different, safe, and more dignified matter just to be sure.

exactly!!

 

[carone0318]

We just dealt with TSA at PHL this past weekend. Dd (13) was in a cast on her foot up to her knee and had crutches. The way that she was casted was with her toe slightly pointed down so she could not walk without the crutches. I thought the TSA did a great job. She did hop through the scanner thing, because she couldn't walk. We didn't think anything of this because when she is home and doesn't want to use her crutches to get to a short distance, she would either hop, roll or craw. She was doing nothing different that when she was at home.

After getting through the scanner thing, she was put into this little glass room. The TSA agent told me what they were doing and told me I could watch if I choose to. They took a sample of her cast and a swab of her hands. It was handled very professionally and friendly.

I guess I will add the same exact procedure was done on our return flight this past Monday from DFW. It was a positive experience for dd, so much so that she wanted me to take a picture of her in the glass room that she was in - I told her I didn't think that was such a hot idea!

 

[SueM in MN]

The fact is, there is a procedure to protect the dignity and safety of a passenger requiring assistive devices--and they simply did not follow it.

Not one person here expected the kid to be waved through--but given his age and disability--common sense would definitely indicate that kid is unlikely to have a bomb--and could be screened in a different, safe, and more dignified matter just to be sure.

I don’t know if we have been lucky or what, but we have traveled by air at least two round trips every year for the past 20 years with a DD who is disabled with very little grief.
Most of our travel with her is out of Minneapolis and Orlando. She can understand, but not speak and she is not able to stand or walk. We usually are very proactive about what she can/can’t do (but, in a nice way).
They do take her, in our sight, to pat her down, swab her wheelchair, etc.
We are aware of her/our rights and would ask for a supervisor if they are being abused.