Now Boarding Zone B(lind)

Fun fact: I love airports. It’s one of the very few places in life where you can see true emotion no matter where you turn. The joy of people returning to see loved ones, heartfelt goodbyes, frustration or panic over someone being late. If you want to see it all, you go to the airport.

For me when it comes to the airport nowadays it can be terrifying and easy going all at the same time.

This was my recent two-week schedule:

San Antonio to Atlanta

Atlanta to West Palm Beach

Fort Lauderdale to San Antonio

San Antonio to New York City

New York City to Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland to New York City

New York City to Austin

You’re probably thinking that’s a lot of airports and I can tell you. It sure was! And in airports I’m not familiar with.

We’ll start here and run you through what it is like for me being visually impaired.

TSA and security:

Depending on the airport TSA/security can be hit and miss. A lot of it depends on the agent. More times than not I’ll have my cane out so they know right away that I have a disability. I’ve had some agents assist with walking me through the scanner. Sometimes they say you’re on your own kid…**cough** Newark **cough** but all in all TSA is the least of my issues.

Navigating to the gate:

Finding my gate is a process, and one where my phone is my best friend if I am traveling alone. I normally find the screen people have gathered around and take out my phone and use the camera so I can zoom in to find what my gate is listed as.

Walking through the airport can be a challenge if you let it. If it’s not my home airport (San Antonio) I’ll walk at my own pace so I can focus, go to gates that I pass and take out my phone and do the camera trick again to see what gate it is. Until I find my gate and grab a seat until pre-boarding is called.

Pre-boarding:

Pre-boarding is beyond helpful. When announcements are made that the flight will start boarding in a certain amount of minutes I make my way to the side or the area where they would have people that need extra time line up. I don’t always need my cane here, but I take it out as I definitely feel judged as I don’t need a wheelchair or for someone to go with me to the plane. Once making my way to the plane the cane is helpful again as there is normally a gap between the jet bridge and the plane. I use my cane to tap and measure the depth as it is hard for me to tell. This next part is usually my favorite, getting on the plane and meeting the flight attendant. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some incredible people and flight attendants are always so welcoming. There’s one guy I had from Fort Lauderdale to San Antonio last year that went so far out of his way to not just make sure I was okay and comfortable but everyone that needed extra time and accessibility. (Shout out Eric from Spirit Airlines!).

The flight:

The flight I dread as most flights have the lights off while the plane is in the air. If I feel like I need to get up and use the restroom, I’m out of luck. Because of the dark it is hard to find the restroom or my seat on the way back. Also I never want to be the person that looks sketchy and a guy concentrating or counting seats trying to find row 22 seat B isn’t fun. So I just try to sleep or wait till I get to where I am going.

Landing and exiting:

These are all pretty standard. Depending on how I feel I can get off the plane right away or just wait in my seat and take my time. Once off the plane even easier, just follow the crowd!

Finding my ride:

This has been a mixed bag. If I’m coming home easy, if it’s a new place it can be hard. As I don’t have the layout memorized and will need to rely on signs. And we all know directions in an airport aren’t always the easiest. I’ve gotten lost, wandered, but I realized if you need help just ask. Someone working there or a stranger will normally help point you where you need to go.

I make it sound easy but to be honest no matter how many times I flyither alone or with someone, I panic. Most of the panic comes from crowds and being unfamiliar with the airport. I will say it is much easier when you are with someone as it helps ease some of the anxiety.

But that’s a day in flight. Simple, hard and everything in between.