Making Halloween Accessible for ALL
Rebecca in a blue Cookie Monster shirt holding a teal pumpkin
Halloween can be delicious fun, and it can also be overwhelming and inaccessible. Every aspect of Halloween, from costumes to decorations to trick or treating items and activities, can be accessible for ALL!
The Nora Project, an organization that promotes disability inclusion by empowering educators and engaging students and communities, offers Tips for Creating an Accessible Halloween for All.
Make sure the pathway to your home is clear of object and barriers and is well lit.
Turn off strobe lights, fog machines, or loud sound effects during trick-or-treating.
Offer treats at the bottom of any steps leading up to your home so everyone can have access.
Be mindful that not all trick-or-treaters use verbal speech, and honor ALL forms of communication.
Share non-food items, such as toys, stickers, games, or art supplies, to make trick-or-treating safe for everyone.
Explore adaptive costumes (Target and Disney both offer adaptive costumes) or no costume at all if that is right for you.
Be flexible and open to building new traditions, including staying home to pass out candy, decorating pumpkins, or going to a truck-or-treat, if that feels right for you.
The Teal Pumpkin Project is a simple way to make trick-or-treating safer and more inclusive for everyone, especially people with food allergies or sensitivities. Share non-food items, such as toys, stickers, games, or art supplies, and put your Teal Pumpkin out for people to know treats are safe!
I make Halloween festivities accessible and fun for ALL with a teal pumpkin and learning through play! Practicing putting on costumes and trick-or-treating can be full of learning fun. Here are some of my favorites:
Take different animal steps (big dinosaur steps, bunny hops, crab crawls, mouse tippy toes) while wearing a costume and holding a container to collect treats
Move from place to place along the trick or treating route by propelling forward on a scooter or lying on a skateboard (this is extra fun with capes!)
Model and practice using sign language, picture cards, AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) devices such as iPads, and even dance to honor ALL forms of communication while trick or treating.
However you celebrate (or not), make Halloween accessible for all so everyone who wants to be is included in the fun!
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Rebecca A. Weiner, M.Ed. is a dynamic educator and creator of Learn Play Grow Educational Consulting. She supports transformational growth for young children with diverse abilities and their families, teachers, and schools through play-based learning, parent and teacher coaching, consulting in schools, and neurodiversity-affirming inclusion support in early childhood programs.