TSA: Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

[mdlbear]

Here, courtesy of cpap.com's mailing list, is the TSA's official web page on Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions.

[...] TSA has established a program for screening of persons with disabilities and their associated equipment, mobility aids, and devices. Our program covers all categories of disabilities (mobility, hearing, visual, and hidden). As part of that program, we established a coalition of over 70 disability-related groups and organizations to help us understand the concerns of persons with disabilities and medical conditions. These groups have assisted TSA with integrating the unique needs of persons with disabilities into our airport operations.

Includes pages about CPAP machines, wheelchairs, Assistive Devices and Mobility Aids, and quite a lot more. Think they've taken a bit of flak over this stuff? Take advantage of it if you need to.

Comments

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

They've come a long way since I got stopped for setting off the metal detector with my braces in my teenage years. True story.

[mdlbear]

I believe it. Yes, they have.

[obsessivewoman.livejournal.com]

Good info - we're going traveling and I've never traveled with my cpap before. Thanks!

[mdlbear]

I found it simpler to just put it in the large secondary compartment of my laptop bag than to try to juggle an extra bag; as long as you can get it out to go through the X-ray separately you're fine. No need to take out power bricks, oddly enough, just laptops, CPAPs, and camcorders.

I've gotten different stories from different airlines about whether a CPAP counts against your 2-bag carry-on limit, but they may have made the rules more uniform in the last few months.

[ravan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. Since I have both gimp supplies and a CPAP, this is useful.

[mdlbear]

You're welcome!

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

I take my CPAP out and they still take a wipe to it to check for explosives. It is a pain in the neck.

[mdlbear]

Security theater. It's not as annoying as having to take my damned shoes off...