When airlines and theme parks make accommodations for disabled people, how do they know who is disabled? Sometimes people fake it. Should these companies crack down hard to make sure no fakes get in (running the risk that some actual disable people don't get the accommodation)? Or, should they not be so strict to make sure no truly disabled people don 't get left out (running the risk that they let some fakes get the accommodation)?
This is where Type I error and Type
II errors come in.
I used the book The Economics of Public Issues in my micro
classes. Chapter 1 is called "Death by Bureaucrat." It discusses how the
Food and Drug Administration can make either a Type I error or a Type
II error.
Type I error: The FDA approves a drug before enough testing is done and when people take it, there are harmful side effects.
Type II error: The FDA tests a drug longer than necessary to stay
on the safe side. But people might suffer because the drug is not yet
available. 80,000 people died waiting for Septra to be approved.
The FDA would usually rather make a Type II error because the public can
blame the FDA if a Type I error occurs. But in this case, they wanted
to get masks to people quickly. Not enough testing was done.
Something similar is happening with accommodations for disabled people.
See Some Travelers Abused Disability Accommodations. Now Comes the Crackdown.: Theme parks and airlines are turning to third parties to figure out who gets some kinds of assistance. Disabled people and their families say the new processes present new obstacles by Jacob Passy of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"Theme parks, airlines and other businesses are stepping up efforts to weed out abuse by opportunists pretending to be disabled to save money or cut long lines.
Companies looking to stem the abuse increasingly are turning to nonprofits or credentialing agencies to determine who qualifies for exemptions. In July, Universal theme parks in California and Florida began requiring guests with disabilities to register ahead of their visits with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. IBCCES, a for-profit company, also works with Six Flags theme parks across the U.S. and the Sesame Place park near Philadelphia.
Accommodations include front-of-line access or traveling with a service animal. This assistance is critical for disabled people for whom traveling already can be a Herculean task.
Travel companies say the new policies will cut off avenues schemers have used. Still, these policies can create new operational challenges as employees get up to speed. And disabled travelers say they create additional burdens when they travel."
"[one expert] says the documentation requirement could present challenges."
"Travelers say the process isn’t always seamless. Elizabeth Schoen, a Minnesota college student, says she missed a JetBlue flight in March after the carrier denied boarding to her service dog. Schoen is legally blind."
"Disney parks used to let people with disability passes skip standby lines upon request. It overhauled the system about a decade ago following reports that visitors were hiring people with disabilities to get them front-of-line access."
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