The happiest place on earth. The magic kingdom. Just writing those words make me think of all the fun my own grown children had at Disneyland. We were fortunate to be a Southern California family and live fairly close to the park so there were many visits over the years. I was so excited to have grandchildren and experience the joy all over again through their eyes.

When my oldest grandchild was born, it didn’t take long to realize that sensory stimulation was very overwhelming for her so Disneyland was not someplace we would gravitate towards. That is, until we learned how Disney does it right. Disney prides itself on being inclusive and making all guests feel welcome. But can an amusement park really make accommodations that make it easy to take a child on the autism spectrum? Yes they can! So this meant that our grandchild with ASD could have that same magical experience that our neurotypical grandchildren had.

How do they do this? Well let me tell you.

Disney has a Disability Access Services program. This accommodation makes the park more accessible for individuals with autism. Just to be clear, accessing a DAS pass (as it is called) took a bit of planning on our part. We had to wait in an online queue for quite awhile and then video chat with a park representative. Our grandchild was present on the chat and asked a few questions. One of the questions was “how would you feel if you had to wait in line for a while to get on a ride?” My sweet girl replied she would need to leave the park and go home. You see, home is her safe space. The lines, the noise, the overwhelming stimulus are not there. So rather than wait in line for the ride of her life, she would just need to go home. We were told that she qualified for a DAS pass so reservations were made and a trip was planned. We were so excited.

Once we arrived at the park we were off to the first ride. The DAS pass allowed a ride to be scheduled in advance and we were able to schedule subsequent rides as we checked into our current ride. To be clear, there was still a bit of waiting, but the places we were instructed to wait were much less crowded and much more tolerable for my sweet girl. The playing field was level. The smiles went on and on. What an amazing day!

Disney’s DAS pass was an accommodation that allowed my sweet girl to have the same magical experience that my other grandchildren have had at the Magic Kingdom and I am so grateful. And isn’t that what it’s all about— allowing everyone, neurotypical and neurodiverse, to have experiences in life? Allowing everyone, despite how his or her brain works, to find joy in the experience? To be a part of the world? Accommodations don’t have to be programs set up by Disney. Sometimes they are something very simple. Like a quiet place to regroup. Or lighting that doesn’t give you sensory overload. Accommodations can be simple and cost effective. They don’t hurt the person that doesn’t need them. But mostly, accommodations are an easy way to make everyone feel included, valued and respected.

Thanks Walt. Thanks Mickey. You guys did it right! You gave my sweet girl an experience she would not have had without your accommodations. And this Nana sure appreciates it.

Until next time!