Submitted by Poonam McAllister, Central Illinois Institute of Balance
Most people don’t find it difficult to walk across a gravel driveway, transition from walking on a sidewalk to grass, or get out of bed in the middle of the night without stumbling. However, for people with impaired balance, such activities can be extremely fatiguing and sometimes dangerous. Symptoms that accompany the unsteadiness, which can include dizziness, vertigo, hearing and vision problems, and difficulty with concentration and memory, are called vestibular disorders.
The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. Vestibular disorders can also result from or be worsened by genetic or environmental conditions, or occur for unknown reasons.
While you may think that vestibular disorders or balance problems are uncommon, the truth is that about half of the U.S. population will experience this sometime during their lives, especially as they get older. In fact, poor balance and fall-related injuries account for a large percentage of emergency room visits each year.
People with a balance disorder find airports and travel by air to be extremely challenging for several reasons. Requirements like bending over to take off/put on shoes and moving things in and out of a suitcase are minor annoyances for most people, yet can be almost impossible for someone with a balance disorder. Following are some tips from Suzanne Johnson, a member of the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA), to make your trip through the busy airport environment easier.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started a program in December 2013 where they pre-check your credentials. The TSA Pre✓™ program allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers the opportunity to apply for expedited screening at participating U.S. airports. You need to enroll, visit the center with the required identification cards, provide fingerprints, and pay a fee. Then, if you qualify and they accept your pre-check documents, it will show on your airline boarding pass that you have “TSA Pre✓.” With TSA Pre✓, there is a special line to pass through security with less requirements including usually being able to keep shoes on or leaving computer in case.
Someone who is vestibular-challenged will welcome not having to bend over to take off/put on shoes and moving things in and out of a suitcase. If you travel a lot and you don’t mind providing documentation, this might make airline travel a little easier for you. While not all cities have airport TSA Pre✓ lines or registration centers yet, there are many that do. You can read the requirements, fees, details, and locations of the service centers by going to the TSA website, www.tsa.gov.
Better yet, there is a free and easy way to make asking for assistance through the security lines a little easier. There is now a “Disability Notification Card” that you show when you arrive at an airport security area. This blue card has an area in which you write the condition you have. By using the card, you can discreetly communicate your needs to the TSA agent. The card can be downloaded and printed directly from the TSA website (search for disability notification card).
Suzanne suggests that you put “Dizzy-Vestibular” on the card as the TSA agents might not know what “vestibular” alone means. Also put down your needs as “decrease motion and noise.” On the back, put the phone number to your neurologist and internist. If the person understands the true challenge of dizzy (I know, wishful thinking), the agent might point you to the disability check through line, which is often (but not always) shorter and faster. At least, I’ve found it to be straighter than regular check-in lines. Just glancing at the people walking in the circuitous waving lines can make you dizzy, so even just having a straight path through security will help.
This is a fabulous opportunity for vestibular patients and family, to teach others that they can help dizzy patients with environment with less motion and less noise. It will take a while, but if we consistently use the word “vestibular and dizzy” and tell PSA agents how to help, we might educate the public on how many of us there are, and how a few adjustments can help us live productive lives that includes travel.
To read more about vestibular disorders, visit the Vestibular Disorders Association website at www.vestibular.org.
For more information on any type of balance or dizziness problems, you may contact Poonam McAllister at Central Illinois Institute of Balance, 309-663-4900, www.dizzyil.com. Their office is located at 211 Landmark Dr, Suite E-3 in Normal.