Vacationer Lenore Koppelman and her son were extremely excited to take a spin on the Spiderman ride at Universal Orlando. But when it temporarily broke down during their visit—Ralph did too. An Orlando resort staffer (who saw Ralph was upset) also had a not-so-typical response: She lay down on the ground next to him and began to try to comfort him, according to USA TODAY.
If you’re wondering: What are the chances that a resort staffer would feel comfortable doing this? You will be pleasantly surprised. Part of a growing trend, Universal Orlando’s staff is Autism Certified by IBCCES. In short, that means they have been trained to solve problems and make accommodations for families traveling with a child with autism or other special needs. This type of training is a game changer for the travel industry and neuro-diverse families who want the best experience for their family on vacation. A fellow mom who saw Koppelman’s Facebook post about the day said it best when she wrote in the page comments
“Thank you for sharing. This means so much to me, a mom of an awesome autist. #UniversalStudios, Can you teach me how to train the world to accept our children like your staff does? I, too, thank you for making this child’s day special.”
OUR TAKE: There will several renowned panelists devoted to talking about the topic of making travel easier for families with children that have special needs at the upcoming TravelAbility Summit.
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