Travel Experiences with Disabled Child

Carol Lawrence has traveled with her son David, who has Down syndrome, for all of his 41 years. Together, they’ve visited Disney World, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. “I feel that I’m giving him experience,” says Lawrence, “taking him places that he can enjoy keeps him in the mainstream of life as much as possible.” It also teaches David to go with the flow and learn social skills in a variety of situations, like navigating language barriers and the dessert selection at a buffet while traveling overseas. 

Above all, regardless of disability, your child is still getting the same thing out of traveling as any other kid—“time with family that they don’t appreciate,” says Schwab. And know that, as a parent, you may be knotted with worry even as they’re kicking back. Starita remembers his wife’s constant concern during their hotel room stays. “She would worry if Jimmy could breathe in the altitude [when traveling in the mountains],” he remembers, “or she’d stay up and worry about [his] ventilator tube.” Still, Starita packed two of everything that they needed for the trip, and they were off.

• A young girl in a wheelchair applauds during an outdoor performance.
• Andres Balcazar

Go Now: Opportunities Await

“Travel is much more accessible today than in years past,” says Vicki Thorp of Accessible Travel, in Denver, Colo. The Americans with Disabilities Act and subsequent lawsuits helped force better accessibility across the country. When author and blogger Candy Harrington started covering travel 15 years ago, access was an afterthought. But, says Harrington, “today, access is commonplace and more and more people are getting out.” She notes vast improvements in accessible airport transportation and public transportation across the country. Thorp still sees areas for improvement, like accessible travel pricing, employee training and making sure that every city has accessible taxis, but overall, the situation is much improved, she says.

It can even be advantageous to travel with a child in a wheelchair. Starita found that traveling with Jimmy often got them bumped up to first class on flights. And, at Disney World, Schwab discovered an advantage above all others: they skipped to the front of the line at all the rides.