When you have a child with autism, things that seem simple like going to the airport isn’t always easy. Yet mother Angie Solis prepared as best she could for her arrival at the Indianapolis International Airport with her autistic 13-year-old son Zion back in March. She was flying with him for the first time and didn’t quite know what to expect, but certainly didn’t expect what happened that day.
Amid her worries (and preparation), she decided to call TSA a few days earlier to see if there was anything they could do to help her.
“I was worried about airport security and how his anxiety would create a giant meltdown,” Angie wrote in her now viral Facebook post.
When Angie and Zion arrived at the airport, Angie noticed hundreds of people waiting in the security line, which she knew might cause Zion to have a meltdown. Before she had a moment to panic, a TSA security officer named Alicia Houston appeared, who Angie noted in her post was “sent to us from TSA heaven.”
“She spoke directly to my son. She treated him like a person with feelings and a voice and worth,” Angie wrote. “With her super powers she lifted a divider, motioned us through, and escorted us to the front of the line.”
In a matter of precisely a mere 14 minutes, Angie and Zion were taken through a very calm, gentle, non-invasive security check and were promptly escorted to their gate.
The program that Angie has to thank for a stress-free trip to the airport is called TSA Cares, which looks to help travelers with medical conditions.
“TSA Cares provides passengers with disabilities and medical needs another resource to use before they fly, so they know what to expect when going through the screening process,” said TSA Administrator John Pistole in a press release when the program was developed in 2011. “This additional level of personal communication helps ensure that even those who do not travel often are aware of our screening policies before they arrive at the airport.”
Since Angie’s Facebook post went viral (it was shared over 20,000 times), Alicia was awarded a (well deserved) TSA coin as a direct result.
Another result of the post were people appreciative of Angie letting them know the TSA Cares program existed, as many were unaware and would like to avoid otherwise stressful situations of traveling with a person with a medical condition.
If you’re traveling with a person with special needs, give TSA Cares a call 855-787-2227 three days before your departure, and you’ll experience the grace and care that Angie did.
“Thank you TSA, from the bottom of my heart for making this experience stress-free.” Angie ended her post. “And for caring enough to understand that some people just process differently and need extra TLC.”
For more on this story and to hear Alicia speak about her experience with Angie and Zion as well as what TSA Cares has to offer, check out the video below!
Have you ever heard of or utilized TSA Cares before? How was your experience?