Orange County makes travel easier for airport passengers with disabilities

Sandee Evanskey hadn’t been on a plane for more than 20 years.

The almost 70-year-old Orange County, Calif. resident uses a walker and has a fear of flying.

Her daughter, Staci LaMar, had concerns prior to her mother’s trip to come see her in Savannah, Ga., for the holidays, knowing she faces mobility challenges and is technologically challenged when it comes to routine airport tasks such as checking in at a kiosk.

“We thought we hit the jackpot when we discovered the Helping Hands program,” she said.

The county-owned John Wayne Airport launched the Helping Hands program in 2018 to relieve stress for individuals with disabilities during their travels.

Customer Relations Staff Specialist Cheryl Waters said her team saw a need for the program and felt they could provide a personalized and customized experience to help travelers passing through the airport.

Waters helped Evanskey on the day she was traveling to see her daughter.

“Cheryl treated my mother as if she was her own,” LaMar said. “She met her curbside at departures, walked her through the check-in process, through security and got her to her gate safely.”

The Helping Hands program works with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and airlines to arrange for special assistance and provides personalized help for travelers through every step of the arrival, check-in, security and boarding processes.

“It’s a concierge type of program that is specialized and custom tailored to families and individuals with special needs,” Waters said.

While it’s not required, individuals who know they will be traveling through the airport may reach out before their day of travel online or over the phone to the airport’s customer relations staff to coordinate assistance.

“We custom tailor it to their needs and their comfort,” Waters said.

The airport also offers tours before a trip to walk individuals through the major steps of travel and experience the airport environment.

“We work with TSA to provide a mock security screening experience so that when their bag is taken and put through the conveyor belt, they know what to expect when the flight comes,” Waters said.

She explained how her team works closely with TSA and utilizes the TSA Cares program where travelers are connected to a passenger support specialist to help them through the security process.

As part of the program, individuals receive yellow bracelets to be easily identified by airport employees who know that extra care and time may be needed.

Waters said the bracelets are more discrete than other identifiable means such as lanyards.

“We wanted something kind of inconspicuous to where our team here at the airport could recognize that they may be a part of the Helping Hands program, but not really drawing attention to themselves,” she said.

Waters, who coordinates requests for assistance, explained how airports pose specific challenges for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder or other hidden disabilities with overstimulating factors such as bright lights, noises, TSA screening and large crowds.

The program has assisted 118 individuals to date.

Customer relations staff completed the Airports Council International (ACI) Disability Sensitivity Training to interact with travelers with physical, sensory, mental and other hidden disabilities.

Waters said training is also offered to other airline partners.

“It equips us and equips our staff to be much more sensitive and have a better understanding of what somebody with special needs might be experiencing,” she said.

Customer relations staff formed partnerships with local and national organizations including the Orange County Alzheimer’s Association, the Orange County Braille Institute, the University of California and the Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation, among others. Other collaborations involve parent and educator groups.

Waters emphasized the importance of working with community partners and working as a team of airport staff to get a similar program up and running.

“I think it’s important to let the public know that we have staff that are capable, they’re educated, they’re sensitive and our whole John Wayne Airport team works to provide the best customer experience that they can through this program.”