Life hacks for children with SEN (and their families)

In our latest special podcast episode, Senior Associate, Salise Dourmoush, sat down with Tammy Hendry.

Tammy discusses her journey as a parent of a child with special educational needs. She also shared helpful information about disability living allowance (DLA) and mentioned some life hacks for children with SEN and their families.

Here are some initiatives and schemes that you may be eligible for:

Ride Access Pass

Ride Access Pass is designed for people with additional needs who would have difficulty queuing.

Please note, you must apply online, in advance of your visit. You are unable to apply for a Ride Access Pass on the day of your visit.

Benefits include:

• Free of charge
• Access to a ‘Virtual Queuing System’; you will wait the queue time outside of the actual queue line
• Does not guarantee instant access to the rides, but will significantly decrease queuing time
• You do not need to have a Merlin Annual Pass to apply
• You only need to apply once to get a Ride Acces Pass for 3 years
• Each Ride Access Pass gives access to up to 3 carers/helpers

National Trust – Essential Companion Card

The Essential Companion card makes it simple to bring one or two carers or companions with you, free of charge. Show the card when you arrive, and your carer(s) or companion(s) won’t need to pay an entry fee.

It’s in your name so you can bring whoever you like, but even if you don’t have an Essential Companion card, you can still bring carers or companions free – the card just makes it quicker and simpler for you.

Max Card

The Max Card is the UK’s leading discount card for foster families and families of children with additional needs. Families can use their Max Card at venues across the UK to get free or discounted admission.

The scheme is designed to help families save money on great days out at castles, zoos, bowling alleys, trampoline parks and many more.

CEA Card

The CEA Card is a national card scheme developed for UK cinemas by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA).

The Card enables a disabled cinema guest to receive a complimentary ticket for someone to go with them when they visit a participating cinema.

The Card is also one way for cinemas to make sure they look after their disabled guests. If you require an adjustment to visit a cinema because of your disability, cinema staff should make them for you whether you have a CEA Card or not.

There is a £6 a year annual fee.

Radar Keys

Radar keys allow access to public disabled toilets. Radar keys can be purchased online and can be really helpful if you need to avoid hand dryers being turned on and or need a quiet space with minimal queues.

Sunflower Lanyard

The sunflower lanyard is a simple yet discreet way to enable staff to identify those who may need extra support. The use of a sunflower lanyard may also permit access to priority lanes in airports through security, however you should check with your departure airport to confirm exactly what assistance you are entitled to.

You can read more about the sunflower lanyard on their website.

Blue Badge

An extension to Blue Badge scheme has come into force in England for people who have non-visible disabilities, making travel easier. Blue badges allow those with disabilities and their carers to park in disabled badge bays.

We recommend that you get a supporting letter from your GP for your application.

CareFree Space

The CareFree space initiative entitles eligible full-time carers a free 1-2 night stay at selected hotels.

For full information and eligibility criteria, visit the CareFree Space website.