Airport of Choice for Individuals with Disabilities
Travel can be a challenge, especially for individuals with a disability and families that include individuals with a disability. Thankfully, Ontario International Airport (ONT) is striving to be the “Airport of Choice for Individuals with Disabilities.”
Travon Martin, Community Engagement Manager at ONT, shares an event that started the airport on its journey to be a champion for individuals with disabilities. A parent had contacted the airport to find out what accommodations there were for individuals with disabilities. The family was planning to take their son on his first flight and didn’t know how to prepare themselves for the experience. The airport immediately offered to have the parents come and provide their son a mock experience of traveling by plane. This included everything from checking-in, going through TSA and boarding a non-moving plane. This experience brought awareness to the team at ONT that people who have disabilities may have challenges when traveling. This gave Ontario Airport the opportunity to become advocates and be a leader in their industry – providing a more hands-on experience on what traveling means to those with disabilities. They sought out input from non-profit agencies they knew had expertise in this area. For example, they partnered with the Autism Society on the idea of creating a sensory room for individuals with disabilities in hopes that it can provide a calming environment should they start to get nervous. They are also planning to provide additional training to staff on how to successfully interact with those with disabilities, as well as continuing to provide behind-the-scenes tours to those who are traveling with someone who may have a disability.
As Anthesis’ leading event sponsor, Ontario International Airport also is committed to giving back to the community and supporting events that benefit those in the disability community. ONT is committed to the process of understanding that everyone has different needs and on behalf of the airport. “Try to understand the situations that individuals with disabilities are put in from their point of view and ask yourself, how would you want to be treated or what would you want done to have a less frightening experience when flying,” Travon said. “Maybe it’ll take more than one tour for someone to be comfortable, but if that’s what we need to do then that’s what Ontario International Airport is committed to.”