Boy with Down Syndrome denied first class

[Frigga]

Maybe thats what happened, or maybe the 16 year old acted in a manner that caused concern.

The family were 1st class passengers too....

I did notice that the Mom is very upset in her self made cell video and did make lots of noise - which is another concern for the airline and security. Shouting in a crowded terminal is not acceptable and she pointed and screamed at other passengers who are not involved in the situation. I understand her frustation, but she may have esculated the situation.

I fully expect the many people who were in the area during the pre board will come forth and clear this up.

With all due respect, unless you yourself have a child with Down syndrome (specifically) I think you know nothing of her frustration. Our children are discriminated against in so many countless small ways, sometimes large, that it becomes heart breaking and causes us great sadness and anger.

I HAVE walked a mile in that woman's shoes and I do know how people can be.

Booked on another flight? Where was this 'high risk' then? Back row with two empty rows in between? What for exactly?

Lots of people get very nervous flying- lots. My son get exceptionally nervous, fidgets, and does self stemming repetitive behaviors- it is what calms him. He is no more of a risk on a flight then any other nervous passenger- his nervousness just shows- immensely!

He will ask over and over again, "no up- no down?" in total fear, even when we assure him. Only when he is up and the plane is stable does he calm down, but it is the same EVERY TIME. If there is turbulence- the whole process starts over again! He is not loud, does not yell, and cries very quietly when he gets afraid.

I hope this family sues the pants off the airline. Fear of the disabled has got to be addressed- enough already. They let drunks and people with bad, rude behavior fly ALL the time, our children are certainly not that.

God bless his family... god bless this sweet young man~ Frigga

 

[zippitydoda]

With all due respect, unless you yourself have a child with Down syndrome (specifically) I think you know nothing of her frustration. Our children are discriminated against in so many countless small ways, sometimes large, that it becomes heart breaking and causes us great sadness and anger.

I HAVE walked a mile in that woman's shoes and I do know how people can be.

Booked on another flight? Where was this 'high risk' then? Back row with two empty rows in between? What for exactly?

Lots of people get very nervous flying- lots. My son get exceptionally nervous, fidgets, and does self stemming repetitive behaviors- it is what calms him. He is no more of a risk on a flight then any other nervous passenger- his nervousness just shows- immensely!

He will ask over and over again, "no up- no down?" in total fear, even when we assure him. Only when he is up and the plane is stable does he calm down, but it is the same EVERY TIME. If there is turbulence- the whole process starts over again! He is not loud, does not yell, and cries very quietly when he gets afraid.

I hope this family sues the pants off the airline. Fear of the disabled has got to be addressed- enough already. They let drunks and people with bad, rude behavior fly ALL the time, our children are certainly not that.

God bless his family... god bless this sweet young man~ Frigga

With all due respect you don't know my family and what my experiences are. I am sorry if this story has brought back painful memories for you and your family.

This subject could be taking a turn to where I don't want to go to - I await to hear from others who were there to speak of what they saw this day.

 

[Nova]

With all due respect, unless you yourself have a child with Down syndrome (specifically) I think you know nothing of her frustration. Our children are discriminated against in so many countless small ways, sometimes large, that it becomes heart breaking and causes us great sadness and anger.

I HAVE walked a mile in that woman's shoes and I do know how people can be.

Booked on another flight? Where was this 'high risk' then? Back row with two empty rows in between? What for exactly?

Lots of people get very nervous flying- lots. My son get exceptionally nervous, fidgets, and does self stemming repetitive behaviors- it is what calms him. He is no more of a risk on a flight then any other nervous passenger- his nervousness just shows- immensely!

He will ask over and over again, "no up- no down?" in total fear, even when we assure him. Only when he is up and the plane is stable does he calm down, but it is the same EVERY TIME. If there is turbulence- the whole process starts over again! He is not loud, does not yell, and cries very quietly when he gets afraid.

I hope this family sues the pants off the airline. Fear of the disabled has got to be addressed- enough already. They let drunks and people with bad, rude behavior fly ALL the time, our children are certainly not that.

God bless his family... god bless this sweet young man~ Frigga

Worth repeating. Thank you, Frigga.

***

In re a previous post, I am very sorry for the poster's injuries, but since when do we equate down syndrome with severe-to-the-point-of-violence autism? I'm not an expert, but if the two are similar, it's entirely news to me.

I'm not sure a child who sent two adults to the hospital over missing fries should be on any form of public transport. But I've yet to hear anything about the down syndrome passenger attacking anybody. If he had, I'm sure AA would have included it in that condescending press release.

 

[Linda7NJ]

If the 16 year old was acting in an innapropriate & uncontrollable manner I have zero problem with what AA did. It seems obvious to me, behavior was witnessed that was concerning. When it was discovered the boy was incapable of stopping whatever that behavior was a decision had to be made for the safety of himself as well as others.


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[Linda7NJ]

With all due respect, unless you yourself have a child with Down syndrome (specifically) I think you know nothing of her frustration. Our children are discriminated against in so many countless small ways, sometimes large, that it becomes heart breaking and causes us great sadness and anger.

I HAVE walked a mile in that woman's shoes and I do know how people can be.

Booked on another flight? Where was this 'high risk' then? Back row with two empty rows in between? What for exactly?

Lots of people get very nervous flying- lots. My son get exceptionally nervous, fidgets, and does self stemming repetitive behaviors- it is what calms him. He is no more of a risk on a flight then any other nervous passenger- his nervousness just shows- immensely!

He will ask over and over again, "no up- no down?" in total fear, even when we assure him. Only when he is up and the plane is stable does he calm down, but it is the same EVERY TIME. If there is turbulence- the whole process starts over again! He is not loud, does not yell, and cries very quietly when he gets afraid.

I hope this family sues the pants off the airline. Fear of the disabled has got to be addressed- enough already. They let drunks and people with bad, rude behavior fly ALL the time, our children are certainly not that.

God bless his family... god bless this sweet young man~ Frigga

I believe this child could have been a danger to himself if he could not follow a simple direction like SIT DOWN. What if he was standing or pacing up & down the while everyone else is sitting buckled in as instructed? What if he fell on someone and injured them or himself ?


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[Nova]

I believe this child could have been a danger to himself if he could not follow a simple direction like SIT DOWN. What if he was standing or pacing up & down the while everyone else is sitting buckled in as instructed? What if he fell on someone and injured them or himself ?


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Then why was AA so willing to book the family on another flight?

Face it: they just didn't want the "retarded kid" in their precious 1st class.

 

[Sonya610]

With all due respect, unless you yourself have a child with Down syndrome (specifically) I think you know nothing of her frustration.

The issue should NEVER have been about the mother's frustration. This was surely NOT a mandatory trip else the mother would have made a HUGE big deal out of it (i.e. mandatory for employment reasons or due to a death/health crisis).

The parents should have managed the situation better. They caused a huge scene and are now seeking press coverage and quite possibly pursuing a lawsuit. If you think this benefits the cause of disabled kids you are mistaken. Trust me it doesn't! Quite the opposite! Sure, those with disabled kids will rally and be outspoken, but many folks will be suspicious and remember the bad press. I personally have always assumed DS kids were quiet, but after this if I see one ready to board the same flight I might think "Oh lordy, is there going to be drama?" does that kid seem calm?

How does bad press help? Oh...forgot...possible settlement! $$$$

 

[puppyraiser]

The family has stated that they have flown before and never encountered a problem..... being booked in coach. In the video, it appears Bede was stimming with his hat- a behaviour that perhaps helps him calm and relax. From that video it seems to me he was more than relaxed and calm enough to board the aircraft and sit in the first class seats his family paid for. However, if he had been running around, yelling, etc and the family had difficulty calming him then I can totally understand the airline staff hesitating to allow him to board the plane at that time- first class seat OR coach.

There is obviously more to this story and I will await some feedback from other passengers before I make the decision to boycott American Airlines when I travel. I am not totally buying into the statement from AA as I do know there was recently another issue brought to light by a young lady with Autism who was denied her communication device before take-off even though a pilot had said it was fine for her to use.

 

[Linda7NJ]

The family has stated that they have flown before and never encountered a problem..... being booked in coach. In the video, it appears Bede was stimming with his hat- a behaviour that perhaps helps him calm and relax. From that video it seems to me he was more than relaxed and calm enough to board the aircraft and sit in the first class seats his family paid for. However, if he had been running around, yelling, etc and the family had difficulty calming him then I can totally understand the airline staff hesitating to allow him to board the plane at that time- first class seat OR coach.

There is obviously more to this story and I will await some feedback from other passengers before I make the decision to boycott American Airlines when I travel. I am not totally buying into the statement from AA as I do know there was recently another issue brought to light by a young lady with Autism who was denied her communication device before take-off even though a pilot had said it was fine for her to use.

I thought "stimming" an autistic trait, not Downs. Am I wrong?

Either way, I doubt hat stimming was the issue


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[Donjeta]

They booked him on ANOTHER flight because they hoped he would be more manageable at a later time! They booked him on another flight with 2 EMPTY ROWS between him and the other passengers!

They COULD have just said "sorry, find another route, ticket price will be refunded" but instead they likely reassigned seats on another flight to give this family extra space and they are STILL being sued! So much for trying to accommodate! No good deed goes unpunished these days!

As far as I can tell the other airline who might have reassigned seats on their flight to make room for the family is not getting sued for anything. The later flight was a different carrier.

 

[Sonya610]

As far as I can tell the other airline who might have reassigned seats on their flight to make room for the family is not getting sued for anything. The later flight was a different carrier.

Well now they are thinking about suing BOTH airlines.

Vanderhorst said the family will likely file a lawsuit against American Airlines under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and he's looking into a possible lawsuit against United. http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/06/2979927/family-of-down-syndrome-son-faults.html

Also they now say initially they were NOT told they couldn't take that flight, but a customer service agent told them the pilot asked that they follow certain rules. They don't know what those "rules" are because at that point apparently the mom freaked out.

Vanderhorst is a lawyer and some of these statements sound suspicious. He claims an airline police officer told them their civil rights were violated. Really? And what was that officers's name? That sounds like something a lawyer would say, not a police officer.

 

[Jen38]

I thought "stimming" an autistic trait, not Downs. Am I wrong?

Either way, I doubt hat stimming was the issue


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Stimming can apply to both...it's a calming thing when there is an overwhelming sensory load. Very often our special needs kiddos cannot process the world around them, so they 'stim'.
With regards to this issue, I truly don't know what to think, as I believe the whole story is not out there. Obviously if the extent of his agitation was limited to hat stimming, then we have a discrimination issue. We don't know what occurred prior to that, however. I have seen all kinds of behavior happen with special needs kiddos, downs or otherwise. In fact, I know personally of a child w/ downs, w/ severe mental challenges, that will choke and kick others. However, it is unwise to make a broad sweep of the brush and say ALL children of a particular disability will behave in a certain way. Still not enough information out there about this, imo...
And I will add that this reinforces my belief to not bring my autistic son to an airport - it's not worth the grief. We will continue to drive everywhere, in an environment he is already familiar and comfortable with.

 

[zippitydoda]

I would hope that the airport's security cameras captured the entire situation. Then whatever really happened will be seen on the tape.

Perhaps if the parents continue with their media tour and threats to sue now two airlines, they will force Newark Airport's hand to release the security tape to deal with all of the bad press.

 

[tlzzdavis]

I have a severely mentally retarded 7 year old whom was allowed to board a plane all while kicking and screaming. Our families do not choose to have special needs children! Flying is a lot quicker than driving 36 hours to visit family. The people on the plane showed so much respect for my husband and I for keeping it together. Correct we were not first class but we were seated in the middle of the plane.

<modsnip> This is a family whom was trying to create a world of normalcy for their son rather than kick him in a septic tank to die or dropped off in front of a bar several states away! Read the news!

I have nothing but respect for this family! So should anyone else with a heart! Raising my daughter is a fight that I will fight till my last breathe! I thank God all the time she wasn't born to someone who would toss her away!

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I think the main problem was with the security guy.I think he over reacted and was rude.The first thing that needs to be done is to fire him and not let this guy in any position like this ever again.

 

[JBean]

please do not get personal with one another. this can be an emotionally charged topic for all sides and understandably so.
Challenge each other-debate each other- but do not attack each other in a personal way.
thanks.

post lands at random

 

[puppyraiser]

The parents created a disturbance over the first flight and in return they were treated poorly by BOTH airlines IMO

I can't imagine how awful it was for the family to be seated at the very back of a plane, rows away from any other passengers. No doubt these parents, like so many before them, have fought for their son so often that sometimes all it takes is another incident to "break the camel's back" when they hit yet another roadblock they consider to be discrimination (and I'm sure they have seen and experienced discrimination many times before). Was it because of his age, size, behaviour or the fact that he had a visible intellectual disability that American Airlines denied them to board? Or, was it because the parents created a scene and the airline personnel felt the need to take control? Sometimes in our fight to make the world more inclusive for people with disabilities, we forget that we are hurting the cause by becoming too aggressive in the approach.

The unfortunate thing is that the passengers on the second plane will not have known about the other incident and all they would see is a person with Down Syndrome sitting at the very back of an airplane with people assumed to be his parents, but no other people being allowed to sit anywhere near him/them. Some will see that as reinforcement that people with Down Syndrome are dangerous and need to be kept separate from everyone else. Sad situation IMO

 

[Steely Dan]

I would hope that the airport's security cameras captured the entire situation. Then whatever really happened will be seen on the tape.

Perhaps if the parents continue with their media tour and threats to sue now two airlines, they will force Newark Airport's hand to release the security tape to deal with all of the bad press.

BBM

This is exactly what I was thinking. Because they're being sued I'm sure it will be released by one side or the other. I'm going to reserve judgement on this until that tape is made public. JMO

 

[tlzzdavis]

The parents created a disturbance over the first flight and in return they were treated poorly by BOTH airlines IMO

I can't imagine how awful it was for the family to be seated at the very back of a plane, rows away from any other passengers. No doubt these parents, like so many before them, have fought for their son so often that sometimes all it takes is another incident to "break the camel's back" when they hit yet another roadblock they consider to be discrimination (and I'm sure they have seen and experienced discrimination many times before). Was it because of his age, size, behaviour or the fact that he had a visible intellectual disability that American Airlines denied them to board? Or, was it because the parents created a scene and the airline personnel felt the need to take control? Sometimes in our fight to make the world more inclusive for people with disabilities, we forget that we are hurting the cause by becoming too aggressive in the approach.

The unfortunate thing is that the passengers on the second plane will not have known about the other incident and all they would see is a person with Down Syndrome sitting at the very back of an airplane with people assumed to be his parents, but no other people being allowed to sit anywhere near him/them. Some will see that as reinforcement that people with Down Syndrome are dangerous and need to be kept separate from everyone else. Sad situation IMO

Do you have a link stating the parents caused a disturbance?
Only asking because I had not seen that. Only that they protested.
Protest can be done calmly and quietly.

TIA! Just want to clear the waters for my own mind.

 

[zippitydoda]

Do you have a link stating the parents caused a disturbance?
Only asking because I had not seen that. Only that they protested.
Protest can be done calmly and quietly.

TIA! Just want to clear the waters for my own mind.

I do know that the Mom made a cell phone video... see below its only a sniplet of it in the news broadcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n1GxVM8IBQ