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Special Needs
realisticdreams
member
Lets Discuss: TSA & the little girl in a chair..
realisticdreams
member
The link is obviously from the liberal media because I used the link a friend posted on fb, but what do you think?
https://www.campaignforliberty.org/national-blog/the-tsa-should-apologize/
Was TSA wrong? Were they right? Are we as special needs parents more sensitive? (I mean, my kid gets touched enough by doctors I'm sure i'd be LIVID if someone else wanted to touch her--but we have never flown).
Even H agreed it was awful what they did to her (and he's kind of heartless lol)
https://www.campaignforliberty.org/national-blog/the-tsa-should-apologize/
Was TSA wrong? Were they right? Are we as special needs parents more sensitive? (I mean, my kid gets touched enough by doctors I'm sure i'd be LIVID if someone else wanted to touch her--but we have never flown).
Even H agreed it was awful what they did to her (and he's kind of heartless lol)
DD1(4):VSD & PFO (Closed!), Prenatal stroke, Mild CP, Delayed pyloric opening/reflux, Brachycephaly & Plagiocephaly, Sacral lipoma, Tethered spinal cord, Compound heterozygous MTHFR, Neurogenic bladder, Urinary retention & dyssynergia, incomplete emptying, enlarged Bladder with Poor Muscle Tone, EDS-Type 3. Mito-Disorder has been mentioned
DD2(2.5): Late term premie due to PTL, low fluid & IUGR, Reflux, delayed visual maturation, compound heteroygous MTHFR, PFAPA, Bilateral kidney reflux, Transient hypogammaglobulinemia, EDS-Type 3
http://justthetipblogg.blogspot.com, The Neglected Blog.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Lets Discuss: TSA & the little girl in a chair..
If DS2 were to fly he would require the use of his wheelchair. IMO, I have to say that it was nice that everyone stayed relatively calm but I think the mom made more out of this then was necessary. They weren't doing a strip search and it wasn't like they are going to stick their bare hands (or gloved hands) down a person's pants or up their shirt. I'm not sure I fully understand why she needs to video record anytime someone wants to touch their child, like a TSA agent. That makes me think she is uber-paranoid or something. As far as the Lamby lovie, TSA should have given it back to the child immediately after it was screened as a way for the child to have something to (hopefully) keep her calm. As far as the comment on the video about why they would check for chemicals on the wheelchair, well I simply take that as someone who is simply naive to the evil ways of the world. It probably never occurred to her that someone would use a child or a wheelchair, etc. as a weapon.
Personally, I would expect my child to be pulled aside for a screening if he is in his wheelchair. I don't know why exactly I think that other then I'd rather go into an airport expecting and not being surprised if it happened vs thinking that he wouldn't be simply because he is in a wheelchair and then getting pissed when it happened. I wouldn't like it because no matter what they say you feel like you are being singled out but if you are realistic you should realize that is part of flying...the possibility of having to do an additional security check.
In answer to the questions on the OP. No I don't think TSA was wrong. From the video recording they seemed fairly professional about how they handled the situation (except for maybe the lie about it being illegal to video tape them - BTW, is it legal or illegal?). Are we as SN parents more sensitive? In general I would say probably. Ultimately it depends on your own personality as to how sensitive you are. I know that I am very sensitive when it comes to certain things about my child's disability.
What I don't understand is what exactly was done to this child in the video that was so wrong? I must have missed something.
Yeah I think the mom went a little overboard here. I'm cautious but there's a line between cautious and a little paranoid which I think is where her 'I don't let anyone touch my child unless I can record it' attitude comes from.
However I will qualify my statement by saying I'm from NY - NYC to be exact so having my purse randomly checked at the subway station on my way to work has become 'normal' for me. So as soon as they said they were going to swab the chair I knew exactly what that meant so it seemed a bit much to me when the mom started grilling the agent about what swabbing was. It really is just a disk of paper that gets swept across your bag/chair/etc and then placed into a machine. Not intrusive at all.
So do I think the TSA was wrong? No. My opinion on all the screenings we have to endure is - everyone hates but if they didn't and G*d forbid something happened then everyone would be coming down on them for 'why didn't they have the appropriate screenings in place to protect us?' It's a no-win situation. Would I freak out if they singled out Chris? I don't know. It would depend on what was happening. If they wanted to pat him down, I'd want to be there but that's the extent of it.
I agree with the no-win situation, parents are irate their kid is singled out, parents are irate their kid is hurt/killed in a plane crash because something was missed.
I really needed to read these responses to bring me back down from, "oh my gosh this was so awful, how dare them!"
I've never flown, and i've never really been searched, and I guess I do view it as very intrusive and personal. The discussion brought me back to the ground and allowed me to look at it more as a normal thing and less as being singled out thing.
Good talk everyone! lol.
My DD, who has spina bifida like the girl in the video, has flown with my 5 times. Each time I have to opt out of the metal detector b/c she has a device in her head controlled by magnets. So each time we've done pat downs. 3 times I wore her in a moby and none of them asked me to even take her out of it. The last time I took her out of the carrier and the TSA agent patted her down. She was a little afraid of having a stranger touching her. But I didn't videotape it or get angry with TSA. I comforted her and we were quickly on our way.
This is what travel is like. If you choose to fly, you have to accept that your stuff will need to be scanned to make sure you're not taking dangerous items onto the airplane. I'm sorry that her daughter was upset by this and I think the mother could have put away the damn camera and been a mommy to her daughter.
By choosing to fly, your accepting the fact that you will be screened.
This mother has a "chip" on her shoulder. This mother made the screening process longer and made her child more stressed simply by video-ing it, getting antagonistic with the TSA agents, and trying to tell everyone that she "videos anyone touching her child." Does she video her pediatrician? LOL. Its one thing to be next to your child to ensure your childs safety.
When I flew with DS, I researched the website, etc. and walked DS through what we will be doing and what we should expect when screening - "giving the nice people your lovey" etc. We chose a pat down & old screening machine option because I don't feel comfortable with the new screening machines. People do have rights, just 10min of your time will allow time to view them
Was it stressful? Of course, but when is airport checkins not?
Yeah ... when I was watching the first few minutes I was feeling really bad for the little girl and like I would've been stressed if I were the mom. I do agree they should have given lamby back to her right away after it was screened but otherwise I think TSA handled that OK and agree the mom was probably a little oversensitive and naive. We flew with our boys in July for the first time. They are not in wheelchairs but Alex (my child with some mild SN) did completely lose it going through security both ways and it was really stressful. Fortunately our TSA agents were fine. I was also nervous about flying w/epipens, an inhaler, my injectible meds, etc., but all that went fine too and didn't require any extra screening. Ugh, I hate flying these days.
I do think parents of children with special needs can be a little extra sensitive. It's understandable. I've noticed it in myself, especially recently when I've gotten some comments unfavorably comparing my son with delays, SPD and anxiety to his twin brother.