Easter Seals Receives Transportation Security Administration Community Partner Award

At the 12th Annual Transportation Security Administration Conference at Ronald Reagan National Airport, Easter Seals was honored to receive a Disability and Multicultural Coalition Community Partner Award from the Transportation Security Administration. The award was presented by John S. Pistole, TSA administrator, and Kimberly Walton, TSA assistant administrator for the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties, Ombudsmen and Traveler Engagement.

 

Easter Seals has developed a close, working relationship with the TSA to support and promote their efforts to improve the experience of travelers with disabilities during the security screening process.  Easter Seals Project ACTION has provided customer service and sensitivity training to new TSA employees for two years, reaching over 700 employees with information on how best to serve air travelers with disabilities and their families, creating a seamless and confident flow of service that allows necessary security screening while respecting the needs of the individual traveler. Earlier this year, two Easter Seals affiliates, Easter Seals Las Vegas and Easter Seals Florida, were called on to assist the TSA in conducting training and roundtable discussions to better inform the TSA of what customers with disabilities experience. Both affiliates hosted training and were able to use their extensive community contacts to assist the TSA in conducting two very successful regional events.  Assistant Administrator Walton attributed a large portion of this success to the role Easter Seals affiliates played in making the events happen.

 

Finally, Easter Seals Project ACTION promoted TSA Cares, a new service for air travelers with disabilities to alert TSA as to their travel plans in advance and gain needed information about the screening process as well as arrange for a Passenger Support Specialist to meet the traveler and assist them through the security process from start to finish. 

 

Read more about TSA Cares at TSA Resources for Passengers with Disabilities. For additional information about how air travelers with disabilities are being assisted in Los Angeles, read our Viewpoints blog on customer service practices in Los Angeles airports.