Traveling with a Child Who Has a Disability

Traveling with children often leads to more adventure than you had originally planned for. This is even more true when the child you're traveling with has a disability. Not only do you have to think about picking a family-friendly destination or how you're going to keep your child busy, you also have to worry about how accessible the hotel room is, whether to bring a wheelchair from home or rent one when you get there, or how to plan your day so your child has enough rest and can take medications on schedule.

These are just a few of the things that Cathy Wangerin must consider when traveling with her son, Ryan, who has cerebral palsy, seizure disorder and is hyperactive.

“Whenever we go anywhere, we have to think about what obstacles we're going to have,” Wangerin says. When planning to visit a dude ranch in Arizona a few years ago, for example, she researched her options and then called her top choices “to talk about their accommodations and Ryan's disability so that they could warn their staff and give us the appropriate accommodations,” she says.

While there are some common concerns for families traveling with a disabled child – accessibility, equipment and communication – every family has unique needs too. So how can parents make sure that their vacation plans will meet all the needs of their child? “It comes down to the four P's – planning, planning, planning and more planning,” says Jani Nayar, executive coordinator for the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality(SATH). “Planning is the key to a successful and tranquil trip.”

Destination: Fun

When planning a vacation, the first thing most families decide is where they'll be going. For families with a child who has a disability, selecting a destination comes down to finding one that's willing and able to meet the child's specific needs, notes Candy Harrington, author of Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers and the editor of Emerging Horizons, a travel magazine for people with mobility disabilities.