Summer months are a time for kids to be out of school. It also makes me think about lazy days drinking lemonade to cool off from the hot sun, having barbecues and family reunions, just to name a few fun things. It also stirs up images of taking vacations with family. Thinking about what part of the country, or even the world, you’d like to see, or what adventure you might go on to get a break from everyday life are fun and necessary for most people to “recharge their batteries” from the stresses of life.
Have you ever thought about traveling with your baby? For most parents, while there’s lots of planning that needs to happen for the event, others may sometimes be nervous about this undertaking. Parents with disabilities may even think this isn’t a possibility for them at all. Luckily, there seems to be hope on the horizon. There’s a proposed new U.S. Bill trying to make lactation rooms available to breastfeeding mothers. The room also has to be accessible to people with disabilities. I realize that traveling with a baby or young child isn’t the easiest thing to do when you have a disability. But, due to small changes like this, we could have the opportunity to share in experiences and memories with more ease and less anxiety about the experience. People may not have given the idea of traveling a second thought but maybe now, with this new proposed Bill, parents with disabilities can think a little bit more about the possibility of travel with their families.
While the Bill isn’t intended to focus directly on parents with disabilities, I feel like it’s another step in the right direction. Whether you breastfeed your kids or not, it’s a great idea to have a room at the airport accessible to parents with disabilities to tend to their baby’s needs. I wonder how many more parents with disabilities would entertain the thought of traveling with their families, or even by themselves with their babies and young children, if they felt like airports and other entities that facilitate travel would be more welcoming to them?
Would more accessible services to parents with disabilities make you more willing to go on vacation with your family?
Thanks for reading..
cr
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-airport-breastfeeding-duckworth-met-20150526-story.html