Israel’s First Deaf Flight Attendant

Israel News - Drama teacher seeking to become Israel’s first Deaf flight attendant. The 51-year-old has been trying to persuade El Al to hire him for two years, but the airline has balked due to safety concerns.



TEL AVIV, Israel - A 51-year-old man's quest to be Israel's first hard-of-hearing flight attendant fell on deaf hears this week after the Civil Aviation Authority refused to intervene.



Deaf drama teacher Shuki Assouline has been engaged in active talks with El Al for the past two years to convince the airline to hire him as flight attendant. However, the airline determined that it could not employ him as an attendant due to safety concerns.



The CAA declined a request to weigh in on the matter this week, saying that according to regulations a deaf person could not serve as a pilot, but that it does not maintain any medical guidelines for flight attendants. Instead, the CAA said commercial airlines were free to set their own standards and that Assouline should contact the airlines directly.



"I want to make history and become Israel's first Deaf flight attendant," Assouline said in an interview conducted by email. "For 51 years I have known that I am meant to be an El Al flight attendant." ... Read more http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.551478