Lehigh Valley International Airport is again hosting an event to help people with autism or other developmental disabilities navigate taking a flight before they get to the airport to travel.
The airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County and the Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties are hosting their fifth annual “Wings for All” event at 9 a.m. May 11th.
Families can register for the event here.
“Wings for All” is a national airport rehearsal program produced by The Arc of the United States, and is designed for people on the autism spectrum or those with other intellectual or developmental disabilities.
LVIA’s new sensory room debuts at ‘Wings for All’ event
The new sensory room is for passengers with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as autism.
The event is very popular, and more than 200 people have participated over the years. The event is a collaboration between The Arc, Allegiant Air and the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which operates the airport.
Participants practice parking in the airport lot, checking in at a ticket gate, going through TSA and waiting to board. Organizers do not avoid crowd situations, in the hopes families can see potential triggers before they plan a trip.
The participants board an Allegiant plane and sit through the flight instructions, about 15 or 20 minutes on the plane. Afterwards, there is a reception.
Last year, officials debuted the new sensory room off the Wilfred M. “Wiley” Post departure concourse at LVIA, for passengers with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as autism.
It has specialized flooring, low-frequency lighting, a mounted projector and other sensory equipment.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.