From way-finding to tech help: Meet the Special Olympics athletes who ease flying through O’Hare

It’s 11 a.m. Oct. 19, and a family of four spills off the escalator at O’Hare’s Terminal 1, maneuvering a caravan of suitcases.

Two parents whip out phones, survey a small army of kiosks, and pause with a “what’s next?” look on their faces as their kids watch expectantly.

“Can I help you?” intervenes Daniel Smrokowski, a Special Olympics service ambassador for United Airlines.

Within seconds, he’s assisting with scanning IDs, printing up luggage tags and manhandling suitcases to the conveyor belt.

“It feels really good to be able to show some love, and show that we really care for people,” Smrokowski explained. “That makes them want to come back.”

Nearby, fellow ambassador Zinyra “Z” Ross acts as a human compass issuing directions to a steady stream of passengers.

“Do you know where the Ubers and Lyfts are?” one asks.

“You just have to walk outside to Terminal 2,” Ross says.

“Where is the baggage claim?” another traveler wants to know.

“You need to take the escalator down,” she answers.

Smrokowski calms a passengers who walks up and blurts out, “I missed my flight on United, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Go to the pink section,” where additional services are located, he says.

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the seventh year Ross and Smrokowski have worked as paid, part-time employees for United.

The airline debuted the program in 2019 at O’Hare and chose Ross, Smrokowski and two other Special Olympics athletes, Lauren Miller and Kyle Tuckey, to be the first ambassadors.

“Once we saw how helpful they were, the rest of our hubs were like: ‘Why aren’t we doing this?’” United spokesperson Erin Jankowski said.

Now ambassadors are located in United hubs at major airports in Denver, Houston, Newark, New Jersey, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Their responsibilities include greeting passengers, helping with check-in and way-finding, deciphering United’s app when needed, and assisting at gates.

The four are also heavily involved with Special Olympics Illinois.

Aurora resident Ross, who has autism and a learning disability, participates on Special Olympics basketball, track, soccer, bowling and equestrian teams.

Smrokowski, who has developmental delays and learning disabilities, competes in basketball and bocce ball.

Ross frequently finds herself assisting seniors and parents traveling alone with kids, but she’s also provided TLC for people who are flying because of a family death.

Sometimes, “they’re distraught, and I will say, ‘Let’s take this one thing at a time,’” Ross recounted. Often she’ll stick with bereaved passengers all the way to the security line. “If you walk with them, it will help them calm down when there’s sad events they can’t control.”

Ross loves the connections with co-workers and the chance to build up social skills after experiencing anxiety with crowds when she was younger.

Hundreds of passengers later, the job “makes me feel good. I really do like helping people.”

Chicagoan Marcia Eisenmenger, who asked Ross for help checking in for her Los Angeles flight, is a fan.

“She was so nice, so patient,” the 75-year-old said.

Got a comment or transportation question? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

One more thing

Here’s how to learn more about Pace’s draft ReVision plan that aims to increase bus service by 50% across the suburbs. Upcoming information sessions are as follows: 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, Public Parking Lot B, 65 S. Water St., Aurora; 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Helen Plum Library, 411 S. Main St., Lombard; 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 16, Waukegan Public Library, 128 N. County St.

You should know

The Illinois Tollway will be opening up lanes on the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) as winter approaches and the summer/fall construction season ends. Between I-55 and Ogden Avenue on I-294, six lanes of traffic will be available in both directions.

Later in October, five I-294 northbound lanes will be open between Ogden and Cermak Road, and five southbound lanes will be open between I-88 and Ogden Avenue. A second lane will reopen on the ramp from eastbound I-88 to southbound I-294.

mpyke@dailyherald.com