Hearing impaired passenger challenges Bush Airport on deaf facilities

From: KTRK, TX
Oct. 14, 2002

By ABC13 Eyewitness News
(10/14/02) — A local deaf man has the city working to make sure Bush Intercontinental Airport has legally required equipment to help the deaf.

Roger Shanks is deaf and recently flew into Bush Intercontinental Aiport from the Philippines. Shanks needed to use a TTY phone, which allows deaf people to make phone calls. But after searching a good part of Bush Airport, Shanks couldn't find any TTY phones that worked.

"Perhaps there was other TTY machines at the airport like that. But I could not find any and no one, no airline, or security personnel knew anything about where they were," said Shanks.

A city aviation department spokesman says the phones probably didn't work because of all the construction at Bush Airport. But the spokesman says Southwestern Bell checked the TTY phones and they are working once again.

Copyright ©2002 ABC Inc., KTRK-TV Inc.