Clara Washington, Starbridge board member, offers the following tips for air travel when your family member has a disability:

• Get to the airline at least two hours early so you are not in a rush and to decrease travel anxiety.

• Research the airline’s website to see if they participate in the Hidden Disability Program. Some airlines will mail you a sunflower lanyard to show that the person wearing it has a hidden disability. Most of the employees know what the sunflower lanyard means, so make sure it’s visible. The lanyard will let staff know that you get first priority in things such as long wait times and boarding the plane.

• If you have medicine or special liquid foods, review the airline's website so you will know what containers/amounts to bring them in.

• You can bring your water bottle empty and fill it up at a water station after you pass security.

• You can check in up to two assistive devices per person, like a wheelchair, car seat, or walker, for free.

• When booking your flight, request individual assistance. All airlines are required to move you through the airport even if it’s a whole family and one person has a disability. If no one asks you if you need assistance, you have a right to ask and receive assistance.

Christina Eisenberg, Starbridge Director, Employment Equity, advises on traveling with a wheelchair:

• Regardless of how you are traveling, ensure you communicate with the airline, etc. about any assistance needed in advance as well as offering information regarding your wheelchair traveling: for example, breaking it down if needed or storing it safely.

• Do research on the area you are traveling to for disability resources in case they are needed.

• If staying at a hotel, contact the hotel in advance and ensure they have elevators, no barriers to enter the hotel, and no barriers to access amenities.

• Ask hotel about: doorway width to ensure your chair can fit through comfortably; height of bed to ensure safe transfers; and bathroom accessibility - make sure it meets your needs (be as specific as possible in your questions based on your needs).

Nicole Thibault describes her travel services and social story projects, designed for people with disabilities. 

“I started my travel business, Magical Storybook Travels, ten years ago. I wanted to focus on helping families with autism and other disabilities travel with less stress and more ease; our family had such struggles with travel after our son was first diagnosed with autism in 2007. I searched for resources on how to help my son cope with the sensory overload he experienced during travel, and didn't find many solutions back then. Through trial and error, we found many strategies that helped our family travel, and I wanted to share that experience with others.

I work with families to create a personalized travel itinerary that works for them, an itinerary that may include travel accommodations, autism-certified destinations, and sensory guides for their trip.

My social story travel videos came about because I saw so many kids having anxiety about traveling somewhere new. I thought, 'What if they could virtually experience the destination ahead of the vacation, so they could become familiar with the location and reduce their stress?' With some clients, we went online before their vacations to look for videos of the destinations, but not all videos on YouTube are appropriate for kids, so I wanted to create a line of social story travel videos that catered to kids, to show them the destination before travel.

If a family doesn't have the resources to pay for a personalized itinerary, I will be happy to create a social story for families creating their own itinerary and just charge them a service fee for my time."

You can reach Nicole at nicole@magicalstorybooktravels.com

If your child uses Self-Direction services, Megan Storm, Starbridge’s Director of Fiscal Intermediary Services, offers advice on using your child’s self-direction budget and self-directed staff for help in travel planning.

“If a person expresses a desire through their Life Plan to travel, their self-direction budget can help cover the costs of the transportation to get there (mileage, flight, train ticket).

Please note:



• It does have to be domestic travel and

• The person should always run travel plans (as it relates to their budgets) by their FI first. 

If they need staffing support to travel, the staff can work with the FI and the person and their circle of support to determine how many hours the staff can be clocked in to help the person and which portion of their trip or expenses are reimbursable.



Individuals can use their self-directed staff to explore new places on day trips, and their staff can have their mileage reimbursed. The self-directed staff can also help the person to research ideas ahead of time and help them to find accessible spaces (as applicable).”



Ian and Ryan Bracken use their Starbridge self-direction budget to visit their big brother, Sean.



"Our big brother moved to Charlotte, NC, May 2023. We have used our self-direction budget twice to be able to visit him. And, we're going again in August.

We're really excited that we're able to do this because we miss him a lot! And, without the self- direction budget, we would not have these opportunities."

MOPD Virtual Activities Toolkit – New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

“This is a guide for people with disabilities on accessible things to do from home. It contains activities such as virtual events, museum tours, workouts, performances, podcasts, and more. Some of the events are live on platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet, or through phone conferences. Others are recorded and can be experienced at any time. The majority of programs featured on this list are free while others have fees but use a sliding scale to accommodate attendees of all income levels.” For further information, please see MOPD Virtual Activities Toolkit.

Virtual Tours Practice in Florida

“Visiting museums, theme parks and other new places outside the normal routine can be stressful for children and adults with autism and other disabilities, but an increasing number of cultural sites and attractions are offering virtual tours online that provide a chance to practice in advance.” If Florida is your family’s destination, check out this amazing resource: Virtual Tours Can Benefit Florida Travelers with Special Needs.

What is Hope?

"Hope is not simply an emotion. It is far more than a feeling. It is not a wish or even an expectation. Hope is about goals, willpower, and pathways. A person with high hope has goals, the motivation to pursue them, and the determination to overcome obstacles and find pathways to achieve them."

From Hope Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life, by Casey Gwinn J.D. and Chan Hellman Ph.D 

Additional Resources

Sensory-Friendly Stops Around Rochester, NY

Access Pass

The Access Pass permits residents of New York State with disabilities free or discounted use of state parks, historic sites, and recreational facilities.

Accessible New York

Check out this wide range of accessible activities and destinations in New York State – from the Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, Greater Niagara, Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond!

AccessNow App

“The world isn’t designed for everyone in mind. Millions of places all around the world are still inaccessible to people with disabilities. That’s why we’re building a movement that celebrates access by connecting people to inclusive, welcoming places for all.”

Find and rate accessibility of restaurants, hotels, stores, bars, and more. AccessNow is pin-pointing accessible places around the world.

Please note - if looking this up on your phone, type it in just like this: AccessNow. Give it a try!