This precious guide to holidays for disabled and tips and resources for accessible travel was put together by our October travel expert – Jennifer Allen. She is a mom of 3 kids and the powerful voice behind Wonders Within Reach blog. Jennifer has lots of first hand experience in accessible travel. But this article is not just for disabled travelers but for all of us who can help out.
Why We Do What We Do – Promoting Accessible Travel
Travel. It’s what we do. It’s what energizes our souls and simultaneously fills us up while leaving us wanting more.
I’ve always been a big traveler. My claim to fame was that from 16 on, my age always matched the number of countries I had traveled to. It only made sense that getting married wouldn’t change that… or having a child… or having two children… or having three children… or having a child with disabilities…
Phew! My, how life has changed in the past 15 years!
Our middle son has Spina bifida. What this means for him is that he can’t feel from his knees down and that he has a whole lot of appointments. What this means for me is that I see the world differently, and inclusion has become a driving force behind our accessible travels.
When we first found out that Jaden would never walk, we had to do some serious mental adjusting. I envisioned the five of us being trapped in the playroom for the rest of our lives… I may be a bit dramatic. At first, it felt so hard just to go to the mall. After I got over the initial shock, I was determined to stop focusing on the “problem” and find solutions especially since this feeling of being trapped could not become my son’s forever! Since then, we’ve been exploring the world around us, inspiring and enabling holidays for disabled, and providing guidance to other special needs families to do the same!
Why Accessible Travel Matters to You?
I realize that there are two types of readers right now:
- Families with someone living with a disability, and
- People wondering how this applies to them.
Let me start with the second type.
You have the power to make the world more inclusive. On every trip, or on any given day wherever you are. Here’s how.
- Don’t be embarrassed. I get it: we’re quite starable. Between the noise, the dimples, and, oh yeah, the wheelchair, we’re a lot to take in! We’re used to how we look: you’re not. Just try to remember that every wheelchair user, seeing eye dog owner, and cochlear implant wearer is first a person. If your life were to change tomorrow so that you’re thrown into one of these categories, it would still change very little about you. Your personality, intelligence, and character would remain intact. Remember to address those parts of the people you encounter. If you’re not sure what to say, try, “hello.” It goes a long way. Interact with the person before the disability.
- Never assume. Always ask. While it would be presumptuous (and insanely rude) to walk up behind a wheelchair user and start pushing their wheelchair, it’s not rude to offer help where you see a need. Most people you see out and about with disabilities are quite self-sufficient. That doesn’t change the fact that sometimes they’re carrying too many groceries to open a door. I’ve learned that some of the least physically accessible places we’ve visited (i.e. NYC) have been the most accessible, because of the helpfulness of the people we’ve encountered (i.e. a stranger carrying my son’s wheelchair up the subway steps). We’ve been able to do so many impossible things because of the helpfulness of strangers!
- Leave a review. Next time you go somewhere, I encourage you to look at the world as though you’re in a wheelchair and traveling with disability. What changes? I’ve found so many places that are inaccessible, not because they want to be exclusive, but because they don’t realize they are! To fix this, we have to work together to celebrate the places that are doing it right, and to kindly help along the places that aren’t. You don’t have to be directly affected to leave a note in a suggestions box.
- Awareness is the first step to inclusion. I would encourage you to read on so that you can both gain a better understanding, and learn how you can help make the world more inclusive. By understanding some of the obstacles, you can be a part of removing them!
Don’t forget, all of us are likely to have a disability sooner or later, so the following will matter to you at some point. Let’s go ahead and remove barriers and promote accessible travel, now!
Now, onto families with extra needs.
Phew! Deep breath. The idea of going to the grocery store with kids, no less kids with disabilities or special needs, is overwhelming – no less jaunting around the globe! I encourage you to take a step back and break down what accessible trip planning and execution might look like for you. Holidays for disabled and vacations with special needs is not a distant dream, it can be done! It’s not going to be Instagram-perfect, but it can still be SO good. We travel – a lot – and it’s easier than a grocery run. Here are the steps that helped me to get here.
Tips for travelling with disabilities
- Identify what’s holding you back. This may sound silly, but it’s not. I used to be leery of going out of the house at all, let alone on a holiday. The whole idea of traveling with disability felt overwhelming: the kids, the equipment, not knowing what we would or wouldn’t be able to actually do, not knowing how the kids would respond, etc., etc.. Instead of feeling a pile of fear, give each fear a name so you can call it as it is! Most of my fears were actually pretty tiny. The first one that needed to be handled was how to get around. My son can’t walk. When this was new, it was daunting and I wasn’t sure how to maneuver through the world. Once I named that fear, it was a lot easier to look for solutions.
- Think about how to overcome those obstacles. Ok, so we have concerns with travel with disability because of mobility. Now what? What is it that you want to do, and how can you make it happen? We wanted to hike. So, we needed a way to get someone who couldn’t stand on his own through a trail. My first thought was some really rugged wheels. So I started to research.
- Ask how to overcome those obstacles. News flash: you’re likely not the first person to take a holiday with a disabled person and face this problem. In fact, chances are high that someone has not only faced it, but conquered it. Humble yourself and ask. I felt goofy asking how to hike with a child with disabilities, but the world of wheelchair users and accessible travel was totally foreign to me. I legitimately didn’t know if hiking would be possible (of all the silly things!). Turns out, it was an easy fix. We started with an all-terrain wagon and some rail trails. Not long after, we got a hiking carrier designed for older kids. Now there is no trail we can’t conquer, and almost nowhere we can’t go.
Not sure who to ask? Start with Google. Then try a Facebook group – turns out there’s one of those for just about everything, including holidays for disabled. I’m in a special needs parenting group, as well as one specific to my son’s diagnosis. Just look! Other great resources are therapists, doctors, and social workers – these people know things!
- Shift your expectations – and choose a destination. Not lower. I didn’t say lower. Just shift.
You can have a great holiday for disabled people anywhere in the world, and you can enjoy it. Once you’re there, there might be a trail you have to skip, or a restaurant you can’t dine in (hello, take out!), or an issue or meltdown that makes you miss a tour. My oldest son got sick the day we were supposed to tour the Great Wall. We missed it. We still enjoyed Beijing, and the rest of our time in China, but we’ve never seen the Great Wall. Travel is different for us, because life is different for us!
Whatever life looks like with your kids at home is not so different on the road. You know what obstacles you’ll face, but why not face them at the Taj Mahal instead of your living room? So take out that bucket-list you threw in a box in the attic, pick a destination, and start planning your holiday!
- Think about what the obstacles are here. After I do the typical research of “best of _______ with kids” and other searches through Instagram or Pinterest or google, and I have my list of what we want to see, I identify where the issues lie. Will there be steps? Will there be sand? Will it be crowded? Will there be bathrooms? Will it be loud?
Identify your obstacles for each stop of your trip. You can’t just show up at a world renown museum and assume that they’ll be inclusive. I’m sure you know how poorly that could end.
- Ask what services are available. The obstacles will be different for each of us. It may be sensory issues – so you’ll want to see if each destination or attraction has a sensory getaway, or headsets, or small crowd evening hours, or whatever it is that you know works best for your family. For us, it’s wheelchair accessibility. For both of these, you can start by searching the website of each destination or attraction. Many places will include the information on accessible travel/visit in the “Plan Your Visit” tab. An alarming number of places will not.
This next part is annoying, but it’s not hard. Call. If the website doesn’t detail all you want to know about wheelchair friendly travel/visit, call and ask. Ask to speak to someone who knows about accessibility or inclusion (never say “inclusive” – vacation people think you want them to throw in freebies like a resort). Find out if they have what you need to overcome your obstacles. Ask specific questions. For example, “Do you have an elevator to this exhibit?” not, “Is it wheelchair accessible?” People don’t know what “wheelchair accessible” travel means, and it scares them. Once you arrive, always check in with the visitor center. They always know more than whomever answered the phone. This is especially true if it’s a whole city, town, or national park that you’re getting information on. The person at that desk knows more than whatever you were able to find online and over the phone.
Just remember: ask for whatever it is you need. Even if you think it’s something they don’t offer or can’t accommodate: ask. It can’t hurt, and you’ll never know if you don’t try.
- Be flexible. You’ve done your research for your wheelchair accessible holiday. You’ve put the time in to create a way where there seemed no way. Most of your bucket-list items will be absolutely brilliant and SO worth it.
Some of them… not so much. You may arrive at Antelope Canyon only to learn that they’re too crowded that day to allow wheelchairs in the canyon. Or you may show up to a four story children’s museum to find the elevator broke that morning. Things happen. Keep in mind that you are traveling with your family because you value the time together and the things they gain from the experiences. Trust me, they’ll gain just as much from your response as they will from the museum. Take a deep breath and ENJOY all the amazing things you can do as a family (which will be most things, but not all).
If you’re looking for more special needs resources, including travel with disabilities, to make your trip a breeze, check these out! I’d love for you to follow our journeys at WondersWithinReach.com. I hope we can encourage each other on this road to accessible travel!
All of those reasons you had for traveling before disabilities are still burning somewhere inside of you. Don’t let life changes rob you of what brings you joy. I think this is especially true if it’s a child with disabilities – I want my son to learn now that nothing can stand in his way. His wheelchair does not confine him. He is still free to soar.
Age and disabilities change the way we explore, but they just make the journey that much more rewarding!
If you found this information on holidays for disabled useful, please, share it with others as there is a high chance it will help them in their accessible travel planning. If you have your suggestions, tips and resources for wheelchair accessible holidays, please, share them in the comments below. Thank you!
