Travel and out and about
The sections below have been compiled using tips from parents on things they have found helpful when travelling. For any application, such as an access card, it can take several weeks for an application to be processed so it’s recommended to apply for these as early as possible. Venues that offer queue jumping for rides only have a certain number of spaces available so try and add these as soon as you book a trip or visit.
Airports allow visits in advance which may help children to picture what will happen and get used to the noises and busyness ahead of you travelling. Passport photos for children with ASN has been a topic of discussion with our parents as many children will not, or are not able to, sit for a photo which meets the passport office requirements. Some parents have had success adding a note to their application to say why the photo will not meet the requirements, or contact the passport office after the application has been submitted. Shops such as Timpsons will charge for each photo even if it fails, so it’s recommended to submit a photo online which is free: https://www.gov.uk/passport-services-disabled, or use a site such as this one to apply a plain background to an existing photo: https://passport-photo.online/en-gb
A useful website is Euan’s Guide which is an accessibility review website started in Edinburgh, Scotland. It gives disabled people the opportunity to rate the accessibility of the places they visit so provides first hand information before you plan to visit somewhere: https://www.euansguide.com/