Last month we hosted the Second Annual Wings for Autism event in Birmingham and it was a great success! Thanks to funding from the Alabama Council on Developmental Disabilities, we’re set to continue our programs in 2017 through airport personnel training and events like this one for the community across the state of Alabama. This is a program I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the past two years, and look forward to continued collaboration with.
Wings for Autism is a nationwide program, and one of the newer national initiatives of The Arc, geared towards helping individuals with disabilities and their families acclimate to the flying experience. During this experience, families take a “test-run” at checking in, receiving a boarding pass, going through security, finding a gate, and loading a plane. Once on the plane, passengers will sit through real safety procedures and then will taxi around the airport. Part of the experience leading up to this dress rehearsal entails training volunteers, TSA staff, and other airport personnel. This is where I get to come in! Being a BCBA, I have ample experience with individuals diagnosed with ASD and other developmental disabilities as well as those with behavioral concerns, so this training is second nature to my usual activities. (New to Autism? Read this post for a quick refresher on signs and symptoms & check out this post on behavior analysis to know more about what I do!) Our Development team has made some incredible connections with airports across the state, and I get the privilege of tagging along to do the training portion while they set up all the details of everything else and coordinate the events. It’s really a pretty sweet deal. Not only is it an opportunity to disseminate behavior analysis and those principles and procedures for responding with individuals who may have behavioral challenges, it is an opportunity to raise awareness for the reality of Autism, and for The Arc as a provider of services much needed throughout these communities. Know someone with a family member diagnosed with Autism? See if there is an event near you or pass along this information. I’ve also included a download of the airport practice trip that is a great tool to use for preparing for a trip to the airport. Watch the video below from last year’s event to see just how incredible the day really is!
watch the video:
