Memos and Memories

Well, I went somewhere a couple of weeks ago and so much had happened I just simply don’t know where to start.

So I’ll start from the end! The end all of the be all. I was upset and insulted and embarrassed to no end… And I was fed up with feeling this way each time so I decided to put a stop to it. From now on, the next time I am subjected to such humiliation by another ignorant hearie, I am going to do something about it.

I was on the plane (FRONTIER AIRLINES! FRONTIER AIRLINES! FRONTIER AIRLINES!) heading towards Colorado last week and I had brought a really good book with me to read. Just after take-off, I adjusted my seat to lean back a bit for comfort and immediately delved into my book, only being interrupted once or twice by the male steward who worked for FRONTIER AIRLINES and offered a drink. I accepted a plastic cup of bubbly Sprite and set it onto my FRONTIER AIRLINES napkin and cerebrally reached back into my book. Within moments I was soon lost in another world of different characters and happenstances. As always, when reading, I lost track of time and didn’t pay much attention to anyone or anything, although mind you, I would have noticed if the plane was being hijacked, okay?

So there I was, enjoying the solitude of my wonderful book when all of a sudden I felt my right ear pulse… Sigh. Someone was yelling. I was seated with the window on my left side (my “good” ear) and the aisle was to my right. With a decibel of 110 in my right ear, I can only feel loud sounds. My left ear, I can hear but I was snuggled up in my seat so that I didn’t hear much. Being jarred so rudely from my serenity, I looked up in confusion to a female stewardess who worked for FRONTIER AIRLINES that looked cross and annoyed. She was saying something to me and I shook my head to indicate I didn’t understand what she was saying. (It didn’t occur to me at that split nanosecond to also point to my ear to indicate I couldn’t hear her, too).

She then looked frustrated and *raised* her voice at me while completely stretching her body over the three seats behind me and tried to PUSH my seat forward. I then realized I was to readjust my seat back to the original upright position as we were about to land soon. OH! I pressed the button on the armrest and with that lousy stewardess who was employed by FRONTIER AIRLINES was still pushing as hard as she could, I kind of flew forward into an upright position. I was embarrassed. People were staring at me. Someone even gave me a dark dirty look.

That is, until my intelligent seat mate leaned toward the stewardess and said something to the effect of me being deaf/hearing impaired/hard of hearing/cannot hear/whatever.

The stewardess looked down somewhere around her shoes, mumbled something to herself and quickly left, still looking down at her shoes.

I was upset. More than upset, really. I’ve been through this enough times while on an airplane you would think I would have had enough. Well, if that’s what you think, then congratulate yourselves because you are right. I did have enough!

I pulled out my pen and notebook and started writing.

“I do not appreciate being yelled at on a plane. I want an apology from the stewardess.”

People were still looking at me so I looked directly back at them to let them know that I’m not BLIND. Just Deaf. Sheesh! They all looked away quickly but still tried to sneak glances at me out the corners of their eyes. Ugh.

The first male steward had come by to check on me because I think he must have seen the whole scenario. I gave him my note and he apologized.

“I’m sorry for that. My sincere apology and I will let her know.”

He then went to the back of the FRONTIER AIRLINES plane where she was hiding out of sight from my venomous stare and came back shortly. I gave him my notebook and pen to write:

“We have to sit down for landing now. She told me she apologized.”

I was infuriated. She did NOT apologize! If what she had mumbled to her shoes previously after my intelligent seat mate had told her that I am Deaf, then that does NOT constitute as an apology to me. I wanted something more concrete and direct from her. I was NOT to be brushed off or dismissed like that.

I waited until the FRONTIER AIRLINES plane finally landed and let everyone file out the front plane door. While they filed past me, some were being polite and stopped to let me through. I smiled and waved them on, determined to hand a note to the rude stewardess employed by FRONTIER AIRLINES who was still hiding in the back of the plane.

“To the stewardess who yelled at me,

You subjected me to humiliation and embarrassment after *yelling* at me to put my seat up. I am Deaf and could not hear you. Several people stared and you did not apologize directly to me.

This is appalling and unprofessional behavior on an airplane (of all places) and I wish for an apology. In writing.

You must understand that yelling at Deaf people will not help us hear you better. A little sensitivity and respect on your part is greatly encouraged and expected. Please apologize.”

She didn’t even read it. Nope, just grabbed my pen and started writing on the bottom of the page,

“I did not know. No one told me. I apologize if you thought I was yelling.”

I was stunned… “No one told me.”??? Who needs to tell? It was already obvious when I was offered a drink earlier on the flight from the other steward (who probably still currently works for FRONTIER AIRLINES) and I gestured for pen and paper and wrote down my order of Sprite. I wrote back to her that nobody needs to “tell”.

She got mad. Sigh…

“I need never had any contact with you except that so how would I know. We are supposed to know in case of emergency.”

I wrote back simply, “Equality and sensitivity to everyone. Respect for all…” I was going to write more but she SNATCHED the pen out of my hand and hogged the notebook to herself, writing down furiously (my poor pen! I hoped she wouldn’t break it!) in my book which made a second copy onto the next page, she was pressing so hard…

“I did not yell. (Okay, now she was via my pen and notebook!) I asked like I ask anyone else. (Oh, she leans over the seats from behind and pushes everyone’s seat forward? It wasn’t “special treatment” for me??? Hmmmm!) I have apologized. I am sorry if you are sensitive. I DID NOT YELL AT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE.”

I then grabbed my notebook and pen back and wrote down furiously… “Ignorance is not an excuse.” She looked really pissed off when she read that and I only let her read it *once* with just enough time for her eyes to travel across the words I had written. Seeing that she had read it (I could tell by the foam at the corner of her mouth that not only had she read it, but she understood what I meant, too) I then turned on my heel and walked back towards the front of the plane. She couldn’t follow me because she had to gather up her items first which gave me a little bit of extra “escape” time from her nasty clutches.

Fortunately, the other FRONTIER AIRLINES stewards were waiting for me and one of them gave me a piece of paper. She had written that a FRONTIER AIRLINES manager named Leslie who could sign a bit was waiting for me at the exit door by the desk and would be more than glad to assist me. Excellent. I thanked them and walked on to the exit. The male steward followed me, gesturing to wait for him.

By this time, the infuriated female steward came huffing and puffing through the exit door of the plane and started whining to the male steward about our situation. He was rather gracious and kept smiling and nodding at her. She then had her final word and stormed out a side door, potentially (and hopefully) leaving her job at FRONTIER AIRLINES. He turned to me and we continued to walk to the desk where I met with Leslie.

Although she wasn’t fluent in sign she could still sign a little bit, which is better than nothing. She read the first note I had written to the rude stewardess who works for FRONTIER AIRLINES and asked to make a copy of it for future reference. I gave her my notebook and waited for her to come back. Eventually she came back and offered me a FRONTIER AIRLINES meal voucher. 9 bucks???? No, I was not to be bought for 9 measly dollars, thank you very much! Soon afterwards, her supervisor came as well. I told her what happened with having my seat being shoved forward from behind and asked them if that was appropriate treatment from a stewardess. I was told no, not professional at all.

The supervisor, however, was open to the idea of a partial refund on the plane ticket itself by FRONTIER AIRLINES. Whew. She offered an appropriate amount for a flight voucher which was good for one year and I accepted. I also asked that the voucher be placed in a friend’s name as they were the one who purchased my ticket. It’s only fair, you know, since I didn’t pay for the ticket. So I was able to have some of the flight fare returned to my friend. Just doing a good deed, I guess.

And speaking of good deeds, when you think about it, I wasn’t doing this whole demanding-an-apology-for-being-treated-so-rudely just for my own perverse pleasure of being apologized to like a wronged princess/queen. No, I was doing this for other Deaf people who fly on planes as well and have been subject to this kind of treatment or worse. It’s our Deaf Duty to stand up for our Deaf rights and speak up for ourselves and others. We have been fighting for a long time and although we have won some battles, our war against ignorance and audism is far from over. And what is the moral of this story? Name the airline that wronged you… FRONTIER AIRLINES!

Carrie Gellibrand

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 16th, 2007