Making the Most of Summer: Travel and Flying Tips for Disabilities

Many families avoid travel and flying, as just leaving home with your child can be a daunting process, but vacationing and flying, not in the realm of possibility! While traveling with any child is never going to be simple, here are some tips to ease the process!

Pre-Flight Planning

• Most airlines and/or airports have disability services.  They can be extremely handy and have resources to make getting to, through, and from the airport a breeze!  You may be able to access such features as pre-boarding, preferred seating, private shuttles, etc.
  
• Obtain emergency identification for your child.  There are a vast number of different ways to display emergency identification on your child, from washable tattoos to more traditional emergency ID bracelets.  Some families also elect to use a GPS device for trips.
  
• Review TSA website.  TSA offers a number of supports for those with disabilities including: 
  • TSA Notification Card
    
  • Passenger Support Specialists
    
  • TSA PreCheck
• Many airports participate in the Wings for Autism / Wings for All program.  This program allows families to complete a ‘rehearsal’ of their flying experience, allowing their child to get exposed to many of the stresses they may encounter while traveling. 
• Use social stories!  Preparing your child for what they may experience during the travel process has proven to be very beneficial.  Some airlines and airports offer free templates or actual social stories.  Check with yours today!
• Pack a flight comfort kit (headphones, snacks, electronics, etc.). Having familiar, soothing tools can make a huge difference!
• Obtain a sunflower lanyard.  Started in 2016, The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program began, in an effort to assist those living with hidden disabilities. 

Vacationing

• Maintain a schedule.  Traveling can be difficult for a child with a disability, but can be eased by creating daily visual schedules.  Families don’t have to lug around paper schedules either, as there are many apps that offer the ability to create free visual schedules!
• Prepare your environment.  Contact your hotel for a room in a quieter area or if you’ll need a specific item (e.g., refrigerator or extra pillows).  Setting the environment up for success will hopefully reduce issues (certainly not eliminate as we all know!). 
• Maintain some sort of reward system.  Often during travel, we think that traveling is a reward in itself, but many youth with disabilities still need a more tangible, frequent reward!  Try to plan out beforehand something that is easy for on the go such as fidgets or coins or small toys!  While the vacation may be filled with wonderful experiences, it is still a lot to handle for those with disabilities.