​Almost five years ago, I had the experience of traveling with my granddaughter and her parents on a plane for her birthday trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This experience gave me a ​ new understanding of some issues of traveling as an amputee.  

​While the airport in Atlanta did a fantastic job handling the TSA pre-check, allowing her dad to pat down the leg and examine his hands for explosive powder residue, the airport in Orlando on our return visit was not so lovely.  

​Because she did not want to take off her leg, the TSA agents did not know how to handle it. They made a loud commotion, yelling for a supervisor across the crowded airport, announcing that they had an amputee child and didn't know what to do. She had to wait in her wheelchair for a long time while they found a supervisor to decide how to handle the situation. (she uses the wheelchair for long periods of standing) In the end, the supervisor allowed her dad to do the same as in Atlanta, but they did advise her parents that when she reached 13, she would have to go through TSA independently and advised them to contact TSA Cares for future flights.  

​This incident made me decide to see what the new regulations were, if any, for air travel with a prosthetic device. The following is what I have learned.

Traveling with a special needs child to Universal Orlando requires careful planning and preparation.  To make sure you have a smooth and stress free vacation, here is a list of last-minute items to make sure you bring:

1- Medications:  Bring all necessary medications for the entire duration of the trip, as well as extra medication in case of unexpected delays.  It's also a good idea to bring a copy of the child's prescription in case they need a refill while on trip.  (Personal Tip - I always make sure that if I don't use a 'chain pharmacy', that my local pharmacist has the phone number to a pharmacy local to Universal where they can communicate in case of needing additional medication)

2-Medical Devices:  If the special Needs Child requires any specific medical devices, such as wheelchair or mobility aid, don't forget to bring them along.  You may want to bring extra batteries or chargers for these devices if needed. (Personal Tip - we usually rent a wheel chair or larger stroller to use 'as wheelchair' or a scooter.  Less things to worry about packing.  So, make sure you bring the confirmations on these if you go this route.)

Today we are going to continue our discussion about Why a Special Needs Family Should Use a Travel Agent to Plan their Vacation.  Last time we talked a bit about Expertise, Personalized Service and Saving time.  

Today we are going to start a series on reasons Why a Special Needs Family Should Use a Travel Agent to Plan their Vacation.  Special Needs Families have a set of unique reasons why a Travel Agent can be beneficial to them.  Let's spend some time and delve into a few of them today.