Halloween Fun and Accessibility 🎃

Whenever I think about Halloween, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood. I can feel the golden sunlight paint my forehead and the cool breeze brush against my cheeks. My brother and I are playing in the cul-de-sac, dressed as Michelangelo and Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while one of our friends is dressed up as a zombie, and our other friend wears a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger costume. This scene seems pretty typical, right? What if I tell you that I was zooming around the street in my power wheelchair? In your mind, does that change anything?

Halloween is fun for children with and without disabilities! My friends never treated me differently and helped me trick-or-treat, especially in areas that weren’t accessible. If there was a car blocking the walkway to the front door, I’d wait on the sidewalk, where the owner of the house could see me. I’d sit patiently, a smile blooming across my face, as my brother approached the front door and rang the doorbell. Whenever the door opened, my brother would point in my direction. Then, he’d mosey down the driveway, the adults following just behind.

Regardless of their limitations, I want children to be able have fun, similar to the experiences that I shared with my brother. Unlike myself, many children have sensory sensitivities, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder), Down Syndrome, or other types of cognitive disabilities and disorders. To make sure that these trick-or-treaters feel as comfortable and safe as possible, it can be helpful to slowly introduce them to Halloween-themed decorations and costumes. Just in case you need a few pointers, here are some tips to help you get ready for one of the most fun, and spookiest, days of the year!

All Dressed Up With Places To Go

Before heading out to Trick-Or-Treat, everybody needs to get dressed for the occasion! Picking out the perfect Halloween costume may be the most important part. For people with disabilities, that means finding a costume that looks great and feels comfortable. Depending on you and/or your child's disability, getting ready can look a bit different. For those of us with sensory sensitivities, certain costumes may work better than others. Something as simple as the type of material, or even the way that a costume fits, can have a big impact on somebody with sensory sensitivities. If you need a bit of help finding a sensory-friendly costume, tap or click this link to get some more ideas. Since each person is different, we should remember that everybody could have different preferences, sensitivities, and aversions, which is totally OK!

For people who use mobility equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, canes, scooters, etc., costumes may be a bit different, too. Depending on the kind of mobility equipment you or your child uses, that could impact the type of costume you choose. Dressing up your mobility device is a unique opportunity to get creative. It can also give you the chance to turn a good costume into a great one! Tap or click here to see some great examples of DIY costumes for wheelchair users. If you're searching for a simpler, more out-of-the-box solution, retailers like Target also offer a collection of "adaptive costumes." These products are specifically intended to accommodate a number of disabilities. Note: before you buy, please be mindful that these costumes won't work for everybody and won't be tailor-fit for you or your child.

Trick or Treat? Is Your Home Accessible?

Lastly, I wanted to talk a bit about Trick-Or-Treat accessibility. In other words, how can you make your home inviting to Trick-Or-Treaters with disabilities? For people using mobility devices, it's a great idea to make sure that your pathways are free of debris and/or decorations, and that they're wide enough to accommodate mobility devices. People with disabilities may use walkers, gait trainers, or wheelchairs, which require a smooth surface to roll on. These devices may also be little wider than you'd expect, so they may take up most, if not all, of the sidewalk width. Particularly, paths that have uneven surfaces, steps, and cracks, will make it either difficult or impossible for people to navigate. Barriers like these can also make it difficult for people who experiences blindness or have low-vision. If the path to your front door includes any of these obstacles, it would be a great idea to set up a Trick-Or-Treat table towards the end of your driveway. Since it may be difficult or impossible for some people to reach your doorbell, setting up a table would completely avoid this potential issue. In the best case scenario, it would be easiest to access a Trick-Or-Treat table that's set up at the end of your driveway. This choice would give everybody more room, including people who do and don't use mobility devices.

For Trick-Or-Treaters with sensory sensitivities, it may help to have solid lights that don't flash. In addition to helping those who are on the autism spectrum, that factor would also help people with neurological or seizure disorders, such as epilepsy. Please keep in mind that loud noises or music, large crowds of people, and fog machines may also disorient some people with sensory sensitivities.

While all of these tips can help create a more accessible Trick-Or-Treat experience, they may not work for everybody. If you're noticing that a child or parent is uncomfortable, kindly check in with them and ask if there's anything you can do to help. Most importantly, let's all remember to be safe, respect each other, and have a great time!

Author: Kyle Romano