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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 8, 2005 Since You Asked No clearance for disabled travelers A couple years ago I had to have a knee replacement (TKR) on my right knee. Before that, whenever I flew out of any airport, including Medford, I went through the line and X-ray and metal detector without a hitch. But now that I have a metal knee, I am made to go through a more extensive body search including sitting down and taking off my shoes every time I fly. My question is this: If a person flies a lot after having this operation, is there some way to bypass the more extensive search, especially taking off our shoes, by obtaining a special permit because of having metal parts in a person’s body? Not only would it save some time, but also avoid the constant harassment because of a disability. — Rich P., Rogue River The short answer, Rich, appears to be "No." We were referred to the Transportation Security Administration Web site by Kim Stearns, public relations official for the local airport. After scouring the site — www.tsa.gov — we found plenty of advice for folks with disabilities who plan to fly, but nothing about any documentation to help avoid delays. In fact, one tip from the TSA folks indicates that having documentation of a disability is not only not required, it’s not necessary. "This documentation ... will not exempt you from the security screening process," the guidelines read. Advertisement Instead, TSA offers tips for disabled travelers reminding them of their rights to secure, sensitive, private screenings. The goal of this effort is safe travel, of course, but that doesn’t make a quick trip any easier for folks like you. A pilot program aimed at speeding security checks for frequent business travelers is under way, Stearns said. So far, though, there’s nothing similar for disabled travelers. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s