Air Carrier Access Act Technical Assistance Manual (2005)

QUESTION: Are airlines allowed to require all passengers who are both deaf and blind to travel with an attendant?

ANSWER: No. Airlines may not have a policy that requires all passengers who are both deaf and blind to travel with an attendant. However, if an individual passenger has both a hearing and vision impairment so severe that the individual cannot establish some means of communicating with airline personnel sufficiently to receive the preflight safety briefing (e.g., using the “printing on palm” method of “writing” with your fingertip on the palm of the passenger’s hand, or using a “raised alphabet” card to communicate), an airline could require that individual to travel with an attendant. DOT recognizes that in many situations carrier personnel may have difficulty communicating with a passenger who is deaf and blind. Such determinations must be made on a case-by-case basis using an individualized assessment of the passenger’s specific capabilities.