Please join family travel planner and expert Dina Farmer as she offers you her precious tips on airport travel for families who have a child with a hidden disability. Dina is a mother of two wonderful little boys, one of which is on the autism spectrum. Dina helps families with autism alleviate stress in order to plan the most amazing vacation.
If you are a family with a loved one with a hidden disability, it can be a challenge when traveling. Even when you have provided your child with a really thought-out social story about what to expect at the airport, it isn’t exactly the same as actually going to the airport. There can be lots of anxiety building up for your child with all the hustle and bustle of a new adventure. I strongly encourage you to share social stories and build up excitement by talking with your child about your travel plans. However, in addition to the build-up, airports offer programs to make traveling a lot easier for families with a hidden disability.
Three programs for you to take advantage of include:
The first program, Wings for Autism, is run by The Arc. It’s a U.S.-based program that helps families with hidden disabilities prepare for a dry run of what to expect at the airport. This program not only reinforces what has been learned from a social story, but it also helps a child with autism, or other hidden disability, actually experience what may be experienced at the airport. Wings help alleviate some of the stress that people with autism and other hidden disabilities, and their families, may experience when traveling by air. This is accomplished by providing families with the opportunity to experience and learn about the different stimuli at the airport and how it might affect their loved ones.
This program works both ways and provides training for airport staff, airline staff, TSA officers, and other personnel. It gives everyone the opportunity to learn how to provide better services to travelers with a hidden disability. Staff also improve their disability competency/acceptance and processes for accommodating ALL passengers who fly, no matter their ability.
Families can sign up with their local chapter. Check this website to find your local chapter. Once a family signs up for the program, they will go through a rehearsal process. Families will check-in at the airport. They will then offload their luggage and proceed through security. Next, they will learn what to expect in security screening. This includes everything from taking off shoes to going through the metal detectors. Once past security, everyone will then board the plane. It depends on the chapter, but the plane could just sit at the gate and then the families will deboard the plane, or it may taxi the tarmac and return to the gate, and families will then deboard and proceed to the baggage claim as they normally would. Everyone picks up their bags and finishes the rehearsal. *Please note, Due to COVID-19 and CDC recommendations, Wings events are canceled until further notice to help prevent the spread of the virus.*
TSA Cares is a helpline that provides additional assistance during the security screening process to travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, and other special circumstances. It’s designed for travelers requiring special accommodations or who are concerned about the security screening process at the airport. They may ask a TSA officer or supervisor for a passenger support specialist who can provide on-the-spot assistance.
How this program works:
This is not a skip-screening or skip-the-line program. It simply provides help getting through security with less stress and minimized waits, depending on the number of passengers in the airport. To ensure your security and safety, all travelers are required to undergo screening at the checkpoint. It may beneficial to consult the TSA officer about the best way to relieve any concerns during the screening process. You may provide the officer with the TSA notification card or other medical documentation to describe your condition. You can obtain the notification card from the TSA website.
Screening at the checkpoint by technology or a pat-down will be required. If your TSA PreCheck™ designation has been verified at a participating airport, you do not need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts, or light jackets during the screening process. I highly recommend obtaining TSA PreCheck or Global Entry well in advance, especially when traveling with a loved one with a disability. It makes the process move a lot faster and it has saved me a couple of times when I’ve been cutting it close to missing my flight. However, if you are required to undergo additional screening for any reason, a pat-down may be required. This includes the removal of items such as shoes, belts, or light jackets. Also, TSA officers may swab your hands, mobility aids, equipment, and other external medical devices to test for explosives using explosives trace detection technology. Be sure to talk with your child again about this, but this is something that you may have already encountered if you signed up for a Wings for Autism event.
When going through this process with a person with an intellectual disability or developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome or autism, they can be screened without being separated from their traveling companions, if traveling with one. Thankfully, each time we go through, TSA only swabs my hands and sends my boys with me through the metal detector to mitigate any anxiety that could come up from my oldest son being separated from me.
The TSA website has tons of information about how the process will go for many different types of disabilities. For U.S.-based travelers, this is a great resource to look into before you fly enabling you to better prepare for security screenings. You do not need to prove you have a disability, but a doctor’s note could be helpful if you feel you need it. Used in conjunction with the next program, I truly believe your flying experience will be better than you ever imagined with a loved one with a disability, especially a hidden one.
Originating in the U.K. In 2016, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower was designed and launched when London Gatwick Airport asked “How can we identify that one of our passengers may have a non-obvious disability?” Thus, the creation of the sunflower design was created on a green background for a lanyard. It is a subdued but visible sign to airport staff to tell them that the wearer has a hidden disability and may need additional help with navigating the airport, more time going through the airport, etc. Since its launch in 2016, The Sunflower Lanyard Program has now been adopted globally by major airports and venues in the U.K. You can easily keep up to date with this list of airports that participate in the program around the world!
Yes, you can use this program in conjunction with TSA Cares. It is a separate program that tells staff at these U.S. airports that extra help might be needed beyond what TSA Cares offers.
There is no qualifying list of hidden disabilities that can have a sunflower lanyard. If you have a hidden disability, or a loved one with one, and feel you need one, you can purchase a Sunflower product directly from the website. You can also pick one up from a business or organization that participates in the program. This is not an entitlement program and it only shows staff that you have a hidden disability and might need some support.
This list of programs will make your travels a little easier when going to the airport with a person with a hidden disability. Hopefully, these programs will put you at ease when you are worried about traveling.
I can definitely understand why you would be nervous, and even anxious, about traveling with a person with a hidden disability. I have been in that position myself! However, these programs have been created to help you enjoy the traveling portion of travel. I urge you to take advantage of these programs, so you can see how it is possible to be successful, and fun, when traveling with a person who has a hidden disability.
A Certified Autism Travel Professional, Dina Farmer is the founder of Lily and Magnolia Travel in Colorado Springs, CO. She has been widely featured in the media and hosts the Travel Autism Podcast.
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