The Arc of Lehigh & Northampton Counties and Lehigh Valley International Airport are thrilled to announce Wings For All 2026!
Date: Saturday, June 20th, 2026
Registration Check-In Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Boarding Start Time: 1:15 PM
Reception Start Time: 2:15 PM
Event location: Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
3311 Airport Road | Allentown, PA 18109
The Arc’s Wings for All® program is The Arc’s airport “rehearsal” program which is designed to give individuals with IDD or Autism the opportunity to experience an airport in order to alleviate the stresses, hesitations, anxieties and fears that can act as a barrier which inhibit participation in air travel for individuals with IDD or autism.
This year, The Arc and ABE will be hosting Wings for All® 2026 at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Saturday, June 20th, 2026.
Wings for All® helps alleviate the stress that people with IDD/A might experience when traveling by air by providing families with the opportunity to both experience, and learn about, how their loved ones will react to different stimuli in the airport. During a Wings for All® event, participants and their families will:
-Check-in to receive boarding passes
-Pass through the TSA security checkpoint
-Wait in the boarding area
-Board an aircraft (that does not take off)
Registration for Wings for All® is exclusively open to individuals with IDD or autism. Due to space limitations, each participant may bring only one family member or support person to board the plane, and one additional person that can go through TSA but can’t board the plane.
EVENT PARTICIPANTS & FAMILIES:
**All participants 18 years or older MUST have a REAL ID, or approved form of identification as detailed in the attached link, in order to pass through TSA security. Individuals without a REAL ID will not be allowed to participate in this event.
To learn more about REAL ID and REAL ID compliant documents, please visit this link: www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
Please ensure that all sections of the registration form are completed and that the information matches your ID exactly. All participants over the age of 18 must bring a valid photo ID. Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
(If registration is full, your name and information will be added to The Arc’s Wings For All 2026 waiting list. Everyone on the waiting list will be notified by June 15th, 2026 if there are additional spots available.)
VOLUNTEERS:
Are you interested in helping participants register, directing participants through the airport & boarding process, and attending to support the individuals and families at Wings for All 2026? If so, please sign up to volunteer and join us as part of Wings For All 2026 at ABE on June 20th, 2026!
All volunteers must complete every section of the registration form below with information that matches your ID exactly, be over 18 years or older, and have a REAL ID or REAL ID compliant form of identification as detailed in the link below. Volunteers without a REAL ID will not be allowed to participate in this event. To learn more about REAL ID and REAL ID compliant documents, please visit this link: www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
To discuss Wings For All 2026 event sponsorship, please contact The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties’ Vice President of Development, Chris Kaklamanis, at ckaklamanis@arcoflehighnorthampton.org or by calling 610-849-8076 ext. 346.
To learn more about Wings for Autism/Wings for All and learn about other upcoming events, please visit https://thearc.org/our-initiatives/travel/#overview.