Wings for Autism eases nervousness for airline passengers on spectrum

WORCESTER — At one in all Worcester Regional Airport’s 4 passenger gates Saturday, Sept. 13, a passenger jet sat in place with no flight plans for the day.

Instead, it hosted group after group of curious members within the free Wings For Autism program, which permits individuals with autism to expertise and apply airport journey with out the stress of constructing it to a flight on time.

Wings For Autism occasions happen a number of occasions a yr at Massachusetts’ regional and worldwide airports as a collaboration between Massport, the company that runs the airport, and the developmental disabilities nonprofit Charles River Center. Massport head of customer support Mia Healy-Waldron mentioned that every yr members inform her they’re glad they got here.

“We always have a family that either writes to us or pulls us aside at the end of the day and says it’s really life-changing,” Healy-Waldron mentioned. “This gives them a level of comfort that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Worcester Regional Airport offers accessibility providers for vacationers with disabilities as required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Those providers embody escorting passengers who want help, or simply further time, by the airport and to their flights.

The occasion is aimed primarily at households with younger autistic kids, however a large age vary was represented in Worcester.

Christine Puopolo has three sons of their 20s who’ve been identified with autism, and two of them got here along with her to the airport Sept. 13, one in all whom mentioned, “What it’s like going through the airport, boarding the plane, it seems very simple.”

Though the household lives in Dracut, they made the trek to Worcester in an effort to get used to the method of airline journey in time for an upcoming household journey.

“We’re an hour away, but we’re flying out on Nov. 7 to Marco Island, and the program in Boston is Nov. 8,” Puopolo mentioned. “We were able to get our boarding passes, go through security. It was great that they were able to get on the plane and see it beforehand so they know what to expect more.”

From loud bulletins to surprising flight delays to huge crowds, a busy airport will be notably overwhelming for individuals who have autism, because the neurological situation usually makes sensory processing and schedule adjustments harder.

“There are a lot of different sights and sounds in the airport, even checking in, all the lights and all the announcements. Some people even struggle going down the jet bridge, which is a confined space, or buckling in on the aircraft,” Healy-Waldron mentioned. “There are lots of triggers around an airport.”

The Wings For Autism program started with one household whose autistic son was unable to journey by air on account of these triggers.

When the household requested the Charles River Center for assist, the end result was a brand new thought: an occasion the place kids with autism may get used to the airport with none stress by having what Healy-Waldron known as “an authentic experience of traveling through the airport and getting onboard the aircraft.”

Boston Logan International Airport has now been internet hosting these occasions for 14 years, and the Sept. 13 Worcester occasion was the third to occur right here, one thing that Massport plans to show into an annual custom.

During this system, volunteers from the airways that serve Worcester Regional Airport stood on the ticket counters and took members by the check-in course of identical to they’d for an actual flight.

At the airport’s safety checkpoint, Transportation Security Administration brokers defined the screening course of, and on the jet parked at Gate 1, a pilot and crew took members by flight bulletins, buckling in, and handing out snacks.

According to Healy-Waldron, the boy who, 15 years in the past, couldn’t board an airplane is now a person in his 20s who recurrently returns to Wings For Autism occasions.

“He is independent and able to travel on his own, coming from a place where he was unable to even get on a plane, and it’s great to see that he’s grown up,” Healy-Waldron mentioned.

The occasion was additionally private for Healy-Waldron, as her 4-year-old nephew, who was lately identified with autism, was one of many members.

“He met lots of kids today and they always have a ball together experiencing the airport,” Healy-Waldron mentioned. “One of the best parts is the kids get to go into the cockpit and see that travel is fun, that the airline attendants and the pilots are accessible.”