7th Annual Autism Takes Flight hosted at Wilmington International Airport
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —The 7th annual Autism Takes Flight event was held at Wilmington International Airport on Saturday, making a return after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, connecting families of individuals with developmental disabilities with a chance to participate in a trial run of the traveling process.
Autism Takes Flight was hosted by the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health, Coastal Autism Solutions, Wilmington International Airport, and Live Oak Bank.
Event organizer Melanie Bachmeyer-Lee said the event saw a positive response from the community, with around 150 families registered to participate.
“Traveling through the airport can be kind of an overwhelming experience for an individual with autism the first time they do it, if there are a lot of things about the process that are things they have never experienced before,” said Melanie Bachmeyer-Lee, Autism Takes Flight organizer.
The 1.5 hour long process allowed families to utilize the event as a practice run for future travel.
Families of individuals with developmental disabilities were given a boarding pass, checked a bag, went through security, waited at a gate, and took a shuttle to live oak bank’s hangar to board a plane, and later returned back to baggage claim to get their luggage.
“So that they can work through any challenges that their loved one might have as a result of going through a different routine and just new experiences so that they can be better prepared to travel in the future,” said Bachmeyer-Lee.
A mother who participated with her son said they both enjoyed the experience.
“It was wonderful, I have a five-year-old son who is on the spectrum, and he loved the experience. Just being able to see the airplane in general was his favorite thing, it being a small plane private jet, just so he can get that experience firsthand,” said Nicole Negron, participant.
She also encouraged other parents to take advantage of the event next year.
“Just come and check it out, especially if you have an autism spectrum disorder child, it’s a great experience. They get to see everything firsthand if they haven’t before, and they make it sensory friendly,” said Negron.
