Victoria International Airport offering autism resource kits for travellers
Victoria International Airport (YYJ) has partnered with the Canucks Autism Network (CAN) to make autism resource kits available to children, young people and families who are travelling by air.
The kits were specially developed by CAN to help reduce the anxiety of travel, including noise-cancelling headphones, sensory fidget items and an air travel themed activity book.
CAN says that in the near future, the kits will also include an interactive checklist, an airport map and travel tips.
"Having these resource kits available at YYJ is a game changer," said CAN training and engagement director Hallie Mitchell.
"With one in 29 children and youth on the spectrum in B.C., this new initiative seeks to increase autism accessibility, reduce the anxiety associated with air travel and help with some of those sensory sensitivities that folks might encounter[while travelling]."
Mitchell adds that she hopes the kits will help more people feel like travelling by plane is a possibility for them and their family.
To launch the program, YYJ welcomed 50 people from the CAN community to rehearse the entire pre-flight experience. The April 29 event included a step-by-step walkthrough of the air travel process, from check-in and pre-flight security to boarding an airplane for a simulated flight.
"Many people on the autism spectrum experience anxiety and sensory sensitivities related to air travel, and for some individuals and families this holds them back from travelling," said Mitchell.
"Airport rehearsals can greatly benefit autistic individuals and the step-by-step travel resources can help people understand what the experience will look like leading them to feel less anxiety and a little more predictability about the experience."
The partnership between CAN and the Victoria International Airport Authority to make the autism resource kits available launched after the success of the program at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Kelowna International Airport (YLW). The program also received support from the Air Canada Foundation.
"Families who have access to resources and who come in to an airport environment that is accepting and understanding of some of the differences they might face are welcomed in to that air travel experience," said Mitchell. "They feel that world of air travel is a possibility for their family."
The autism resource kits are available at the YYJ's Red Coat information desk in arrivals, or the customer service desk in the departures area and online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.