A year after, Emirates first successful “Travel Rehearsal” the programme is being rolled out across 17 cities – allowing children with autism to practice their journey through the airport to prepare for real flights.
The Travel Rehearsal concept first began in 2023 as a community collaboration between Emirates, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Airports, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Police and Dubai Customers along with several schools and centres for autism.
Community collaboration
Schools were invited to Dubai International to experience a simulation of an airport journey. The children, their teachers and their carers got to practice checking in, dropping baggage and going through immigration and security. They also had the chance to experience the hustle and bustle of Duty Free and familiarising themselves with boarding passes, way finding and the sights and sounds of people along the way.
Comfort in preparation
Therapists, parents and teachers involved in ongoing Travel Rehearsals in different international locations have confirmed the value of the experience and it positive impact. The comfort of preparation, familiarity and trained support staff are said to be really helping children to have a safe and successful experience from ground services to in-flight.
To become the world’s first Autism Certified Airline, Emirates completed the training of 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff to understand and support customers with autism. The inaugural designation will be awarded by the International Board of Credentialling and continuing education standards (IBCCES)– a leading organization in autism and neurodiversity training and education. IBCCES and Emirates also created a new blueprint for serving passengers with accessibility requirements that encompasses the entire journey.
Reducing misconceptions
The training and sensory awareness program equips frontline staff with the understanding and skills to address the needs of autistic and sensory sensitive travellers, along with their families. It is also designed to educate the airline’s teams on the spectrum of autism, misconceptions and challenges faced and potential stimulus and triggers they should be aware of during their ground services and in-flight experience.
Emirates has also highlighted autism awareness to millions of global passengers by including movies, documentaries and podcasts like Temple Grandin, Ezra and The Flight of Brian, Copa 71 and Carl the Collector on its inflight entertainment system.
Watch for roll outs in Barcelona, Brisbane, Budapest, Cebu, Christchurch, Dubai, Durban, Luanda, Madrid, Manila, Mauritius, Manchester, Montreal, Nice, Oslo, Paris, and Toronto with more destinations committing to the program each month.
Kylie MacKenzie is a staff writer for Rehab & Community Care Medicine.
Photos: Emirates Canada
