Tips for Neighbors to Make Halloween More Accessible
Spooky season is among us, and I could not be more thrilled. Since I was very little I have always impatiently waited for Halloween. I love costumes, haunted houses, candy, and everything fall flavored. However, growing up I found many of the activities that I wanted to take part in were inaccessible to me – including trick-or-treating.
I firmly believe that everyone should be able to enjoy the thrill of getting candy from strangers and we should not have to resort to Trunk-or-Treats or other special events in order to have an accessible version of the childhood rite of passage that is trick-or-treating. Don’t get me wrong, I love special events that add to the magic of Halloween and I fully support these events if they are used to enhance Halloween, but they should not replace the fun and excitement of dressing up on October 31st and going around from house to house to collect candy from neighbors.
It's not hard to make this magic possible for ghouls and goblins with disabilities. Here are a few easy things that I do to ensure that everyone who comes to my house can enjoy this fantastic holiday.
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Ensuring we have accessible paths
As a wheelchair user I appreciate clear accessible paths and I never take them for granted. My entire childhood was filled with Halloween nights where I could not get to houses because I had to go through grass or climb steps. I want to make sure no child struggles to get to our home, so for All Hallows Eve my husband and I ensure that the path to get to the candy is very clear. We move the cars to one side of the driveway, line the path with lanterns so it is well lit, and we even sit outside our front door all night so that no child has to navigate steps (yes, our front door has a step unfortunately!). These are very easy things that anyone can do to help make trick-or-treating easier for all children.
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Offering a variety of treats
Allergies are real. Food aversions are real. Swallowing difficulties are real. There are so many reasons to offer a variety of treats, and these are just some of them. We want everyone who comes to our house to leave happy, so we offer many different types of candy including nut-free, dairy free, and gluten free options (these are not hard to find!) and we also offer non-edible options. This year we’ll have squishees and invisible ink pens as treat options. We also never restrict the different types of treats to people who tell us that they have allergies or disabilities. We put out all of the treats for all of the kids to choose from, and every year kids LOVE all of the options we provide!
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Never requiring magic words
Some kids have anxiety, others are non-speaking, and others just might be having a rough day. It doesn't matter to us – everyone deserves a treat on Halloween. While I love to hear a chorus of “trick or treat!!” it’s never mandatory to use a magic phrase at our house.
None of these things are difficult to do and they all help to make a Happy Halloween for everyone. I hope you’ll consider joining me in making Halloween more inclusive by implementing some of these practices at your home and sharing these tips with your neighbors!