TSA Now Offers Assistance For Travelers With Special Needs

White Plains, NY (Law Firm Newswire) April 22, 2013 – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now offering assistance to travelers with special needs.

The disabled, the elderly and individuals with medical conditions are now being offered special assistance with airport security as part of a new push by the TSA.

In light of numerous complaints by travelers, the TSA has implemented a cadre of specially trained airport security screeners to assist passengers with disabilities.

More than 2,600 TSA officers, supervisors and lead staff have been trained specifically to address the issues that travelers with special needs may face. Each of the TSA employees received four hours of instruction on sensitivity and disability basics developed for them by several disability advocacy groups, and were educated on disability rights. These “passenger screening specialists” may now be requested by any traveler who has a disability or a medical condition which requires assistance or separate screening.

The goal, said a spokesperson, is to place a passenger screening specialist in the area of each checkpoint during regular screening hours, available to proactively assist any passenger who may need it, and to resolve issues or concerns. Any passenger who may need additional assistance is advised to arrive early at the airport and place a request for a specialist.

The new passenger screening specialist program follows on the heels of a public gaffe; the TSA was lambasted by critics after a video was released showing agents insensitively attempting to security screen a 3-year-old in a wheelchair. The video was posted online and quickly went viral.

The passenger assistance specialists are not new to TSA; they are working officers who were given additional training. The specialists were chosen from a pool of applicants who demonstrated interpersonal skills and the ability to process complex passenger issues. For passengers looking for privacy, a private screening can be requested, or a notification card can be printed out from the TSA web site, tsa.gov, and handed to an officer.

The TSA has also announced that it has a hotline resource for passengers with special needs. TSA Cares can be reached at (855) 787-2227. Learn more at www.specialneedsnewyork.com.

About Littman Krooks
Littman Krooks LLP provides sophisticated legal advice and the high level of expertise ordinarily associated with large law firms along with the personal attention and responsiveness of smaller firms. These ingredients, which are the cornerstone of effective representation and necessary to a successful lawyer/client relationship, have become the foundation of the firm’s success.

Littman Krooks LLP offers legal services in several areas of law, including elder law, estate planning, special needs planning, special education advocacy, and corporate and securities. Their offices are located at 399 Knollwood Road, White Plains, New York; 655 Third Avenue, New York, New York; and 300 Westage Business Center Drive, Fishkill, New York. For more information about Littman Krooks LLP, visit the website at: www.littmankrooks.com.

New York Contact:
Maria M. Brill
Littman Krooks LLP
(914) 684-2100
mbrill@littmankrooks.com

New York City Office
655 Third Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, New York 10017
(212) 490-2020 Phone

Westchester Office
399 Knollwood Road
White Plains, New York 10603
(914) 684-2100 Phone

Dutchess Office
300 Westage Business Center Drive, Suite 400
Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 896-1106 Phone

View Larger Map

[iframe http://www.specialneedsnewyork.com/ 100% 1200px]