I have had my own horror story with TSA when my leg and liner were removed and my four year old son was intimidated and frightened. I admit that I am guarded in my interactions with TSA. Although my encounter was not the norm, I often detect an unsettling level of uncertainty from my screeners.
All too often the agents appear disorganized and confused by my prosthetic. There are vast differences among the screening process between airports and between agents. As an amputee traveler, I never know what to expect.
The disabled community deserves to be respected by TSA. In my opinion, the lack of education and training on how to deal with the handicapped community is appalling and insulting. We are missing limbs, may be reliant upon wheelchairs and may have medical issues, but we deserve to be screened in a reliable, compassionate and quick manner.
Do not ask me what other airports do during the screening process. Don't expect me to accept insensitive remarks that are overheard being made to your coworkers about my limb. I am not at the airport to serve as your training visual aid. Please don't practice on me. I am not a dress rehearsal!
Despite the myriad of complaints I hold about the agency, many might find it ironic to learn that I am not anti-TSA. I am concerned about the quality and the consistency of the screenings I undergo. I don't feel safe when inadequate training is demonstrated through blundering and inept practices.
I don't now, nor have I ever, contested the need for extra scrutiny for those with a prosthesis. I accept the extra screening as I have accepted many nuisances that I have encountered since I lost my leg. I just know that we can do better.
Common sense has been lost. Asking a woman, a flight attendant, to remove her prosthetic breast serves only to harass, not to promote security. Asking the passengers to interpret their own Cast Scope images, which has happened to me on numerous occasions, is illogical and deems the technology irrelevant. The new pat down procedures seem to be carried out in an effort to demonstrate the power of the TSA rather than to secure the skies.
As the holidays approach, we are going to be hearing more stories about TSA blunders and abuses. Until the agency is willing to take a look at their hiring requisites and training practices, improvement seems unlikely. In the meantime, ACA has asked to be informed of any inconsistencies or abuses that are encountered by the amputee traveler. If you have a problem or question, please contact them. Perhaps we will have more strength in numbers.
On a lighter note, sometimes a little humor helps.
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