Wings for All®
Wings for All® is an innovative program that allows individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to experience boarding a plane so they can become comfortable and familiar with the process. Those with IDD can be very sensitive to external stimuli and unfamiliar situations. The beeping of a metal detector, stress of being surrounded by strangers, and the noise of a plane taking off can be overwhelming, and as a result, many families forgo much-needed travel.
During a Wings for All® event, families are invited to complete the boarding process at a participating airport so that individuals with IDD can experience the sights and sounds in a more controlled environment. By introducing this experience before a person with IDD actually boards a plane to go on a trip, families are more equipped to navigate this potentially overwhelming event. Wings for All® is held at local airports thanks to their collaboration with The Arc, participating airlines, TSA agents, flight attendants, and pilots.
Wings for All at GSP in May of 2019
Testimonials
"Thank you for your coordination and/or assistance with today's Wings For All event at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Timothy had a good time. I am not sure who was more excited, him or me. It was an enjoyable day. I am glad there is a program for those with special needs - intellectual and development disabilities, to provide an opportunity to have exposure to the flying experience. Although they did not get to take off or land, the airport and riding on the plane experiences were good to have, i.e. going to the airport, getting a boarding pass, going through the TSA checkpoint, boarding plane, riding on the plane, going into the cockpit, and having photos with the Pilots before boarding and in the cockpit. Thank you for providing an inclusive opportunity. " ~ P.D.
"I wanted to thank you all so much for such an amazing experience! My 6 year old son, Noah, has level 1 ASD and one of his special interests is airplanes, but he’s always been very anxious about the idea of flying! I surprised him with this day at the airport and assured him that the plane would not leave the ground, and he made sure to tell everyone he met that day that the plane wasn’t leaving the ground and I could see how nervous he was. After getting in the plane and taxiing around the airport, his anxiety completely disappeared! He keeps asking me when we’re going to go back to the airport to fly on a plane! I never expected that to be a possibility for us!" ~ B.H.
“Thank you for your patience today. We will definitely join again” — A. Torres
“Thank you to The Arc of South Carolina , Delta Air Lines and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)for doing the wings for all event! My daughter struggled a little bit with the waiting and the overwhelming part of the airplane. And she might not be 100% ready but she learned a lot about the airport and how to do things. She even decided that she didn’t want to be a police officer but now she wants to be a pilot and give out “cool air-o plane cards” to everyone too! Thank you to everyone and all the volunteers who made this possible for my little girl and for others with disabilities. And thank you to all the workers (including the therapy dogs) who helped calm her down in the middle of huge emotions and told me I was doing a wonderful job, y’all don’t know how much we both needed that! I might be biased, but I think I have the cutest pilot on my hands!” — S.L. Ingle
"My name is Hali Brown, the LIFE instructor here at Coastal Carolina University. The LIFE Program works with students who have mild to moderate intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. This past October, we joined you all at the Myrtle Beach Airport for the Wings For All event. This event was VERY beneficial for our students – without giving any personal information away, we received multiple emails from our student’s families during Thanksgiving discussing how successful our students were while traveling alone over the holiday break. With that being said, we are highly interested in participating again next year and would love any updates on any event that you ever have in the area...Thank you for everything you do, you have made such an impact in our community and like I mentioned, even our families have noticed a difference in their students." (MYR 10/12/2022)
"I can't begin to tell you how wonderful The Arc event at the Myrtle Beach International Airport was. The challenges of having twins with Autism are nothing less than stressful with just the daily living skills, never mind trying to be adventurous. The event gave me great insight into what I need to work on so that I am able to travel with them. I am needing to take a long trip (to Greece) where my in-laws are located and are too old to travel. The twins thoroughly enjoyed being on a plane and especially loved the taxi around the runway. This would not have been possible without your help. The event was so amazing that it brought tears to my eyes. I am so excited about a test trip that I am now planning and can hardly wait to go. I'm not sure where we will go, but anywhere we end up will be our own adventure. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." - A Wings for Autism® parent (MYR 11/12/16)
"The event was a great learning experience. It was a priceless experience to be able to meet the wonderful children and help them through the learning experience." - Airport representative (MYR 11/12/16)
"THANK YOU for such a great event! It exceeded my expectations. Everything was so well coordinated and everyone was so friendly. Thank you for doing this for so many families! My girls had a great time! I have learned just so much from a couple of hours at the airport." - A Wings for All® parent (GSP 4/29/17)
Check us out in the news:
Follow this link to our National Page, where you can find more information.
Stay Updated on when the next WINGS FOR ALL event will be near you!
Wings for All® and The Arc are trademarks of The Arc of the United States, Inc.
Wings for All® was created by the Charles River Center, an affiliated chapter of The Arc, in collaboration with Massachusetts Port Authority. For additional information about bringing Wings to an airport near you, please email wingsforautism@thearc.org.
