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 Event at GSP - A Wonderful Success!
On Saturday, September 14, 2024, The Arc of South Carolina hosted an incredible Wings for All® event at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)! We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Delta Air Lines, and the amazing team at GSP for their invaluable support. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our wonderful volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure that everything went smoothly.
If you attended the event and would like to share any photos or stories about your experience, we’d love to hear from you! Please email us at thearc@arcsc.org.
Thank you again to everyone who participated and helped make this event such a memorable day! Check out the photos below for a glimpse of the fun.
Voices of Impact: Wings for All at GSP
The Wings for All event at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) offered a unique experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to practice navigating the airport process. In this section, you'll hear directly from participants and their families about the difference this event has made. Their heartfelt testimonials reflect the confidence, comfort, and joy they gained through this inclusive program, helping them feel more prepared for air travel in the future.
"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.
"What I Learned from the Wings for All® Event"
First, thank you all so very much!
Second, my family loved this so much. I learned that my autistic son is ready to fly!
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Having a state ID for anyone 5+ makes things easier. (We picked ours up yesterday.)
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It’s a 4-hour experience, so bring comfort items and entertainment.
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They make accommodations for us at TSA, such as:
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I brought more than 3.4 oz of liquid with me, so they asked me to open the thermoses for them to scan with a test strip held above the open container.
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Children 12 and under are not required to remove their shoes.
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My husband went through a separate line pushing the stroller wagon while I went through the body scan.
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The plane ACTUALLY leaves the gate and accelerates on the runway. We didn’t take off, but it was so cool!
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The participants did exceptionally well. They were so excited! Two were celebrating birthdays (21 & 1), so we all sang together.
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The volunteers were plentiful, pleasant, helpful, and supportive.
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Be prepared to take a shuttle for parking if needed, and bring your ticket to registration for validation.
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There were opportunities for photos with the pilots, staff, and inside the cockpit.
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Registering with other moms you know makes the experience even more special.
"I wish we could go every year!"
~ V.H.
Upcoming Wings Events!
You'll find information about future Wings events here.
Past Wings Events!
Thank You for Making the Wings for All Event a Success!
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in the Wings for All event at Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) yesterday. This special program could not have been as successful without the collaboration and support from our partners at Delta Air Lines, Enterprise Rent a Car, and our hosts at CAE.
A very special thank you to Authentic ASL Interpreting, LLC, who provided essential services that ensured everyone could engage fully in the experience. Your dedication to accessibility and inclusion is truly appreciated.
The event was a fantastic opportunity for participants to navigate through the various phases of air travel in a supportive environment. From checking in to boarding and taxiing around the airport, participants got a real sense of what to expect when traveling by air. The smiles, excitement, and learning that happened yesterday were incredibly heartening to witness.
Participant Feedback
“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
We also extend a heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers, without whom this event would not have been possible. Your enthusiasm and dedication created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all our guests.
Please see highlights from the event and relive some of the wonderful moments in our gallery below.
If you have your own photos and experiences from the event that you'd like to share, please email them to us at thearc@arcsc.org. We love seeing and sharing your stories!
Once again, thank you to everyone involved — your participation and support ensure that we can continue making a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Here’s to many more successful events in the future!
We'd like to thank the following sponsors of the Wings for All at CHS event on April 15, 2023:
The Arc of the United States
The Arc of South Carolina
The Arc of the Low Country
The Charleston County Aviation Authority
Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Delta Airlines
Enterprise Rent-a Car
Thanks To Our MYR Sponsors!
Article published by visitmyrtlebeach.com
Myrtle Beach Area: In The News
MYR Works to Make Air Travel More Inclusive For Individuals With Disabilities
Check out this article written by WYFF4!
Wings for All at GSP in May of 2019
Testimonials
"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.
