As a parent of a child with special educational needs, I don’t take days out lightly. They aren’t spontaneous, easy, or carefree. They involve weeks of planning, anxiety, backup plans and the constant fear that something might go wrong. For many SEN families, places like Alton Towers have only ever been possible because disability adjustments existed, not as a luxury, but as a lifeline. Without them, these experiences simply don’t happen. That’s why the recent disability policy changes at alton towers is deeply upsetting.
Invisible Disabilities Are Still Disabilities Regardless Of How Policy Changes at Alton Towers Suggest Otherwise
One of the most painful parts of these changes is the feeling that invisible disabilities are being questioned. Our children already spend so much of their lives being misunderstood. They shouldn’t have to perform their distress or justify their needs to be believed.
As parents, we advocate every single day, at school, in healthcare settings, in public spaces. A theme park should not be another place where we’re forced to fight just to be included.
The Emotional Toll On Parents Due To Disability Policy Changes
What often gets overlooked is the emotional cost to parents and carers. Being asked to repeatedly explain, evidence and defend your child’s needs is exhausting. It strips away dignity and turns what should be a joyful family experience into something filled with dread. Many SEN parents are now asking themselves a heartbreaking question: Is it even worth trying anymore?
When families feel pushed out rather than welcomed, that’s not inclusion, it’s exclusion by policy. We Are Not the Problem; SEN families are not exploiting the system. We are not looking for shortcuts or special privileges. We are simply asking for reasonable adjustments that recognise our children’s realities. Policies designed to prevent misuse should never come at the cost of excluding genuinely disabled children. When that balance is lost, it’s our families who pay the price.
My Son, Toby And Why the Ride Access Pass Matters To Him
My son Toby absolutely loves theme park rides. He’s a big sensory seeker and thrives on movement. His favourite ride is the pirate ship, the bigger and faster, the better. He doesn’t get motion sickness, he doesn’t feel dizzy, and if he had his way, he’d happily go on the same ride again and again all day long.
Rides bring him joy, regulation and excitement.
Waiting does not.
Toby doesn’t cope well with waiting situations, especially when he desperately wants to do something and doesn’t understand why he can’t do it straight away. Long queues, uncertainty and delays are incredibly hard for him to process, and that’s where emotional dysregulation sets in.
The Ride Access Pass helps us navigate a day out with our son in a way that keeps him calm, regulated and able to enjoy the experience. It allows us to explain what’s happening, manage expectations, and prevent situations from escalating before they become overwhelming.
Without it, we aren’t just waiting longer, we’re risking our child becoming distressed, dysregulated and unable to cope at all.
We Are Not the Problem
SEN families are not abusing the system. We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for reasonable adjustments that recognise how our children experience the world. Policies designed to prevent misuse should never result in disabled children being excluded. When that happens, families stop coming, not because they want to, but because they feel they have no other choice.
Please Revert the Policy Changes At Alton Towers
Alton Towers has the opportunity to do better, to listen to SEN parents, to understand lived experiences, and to rebuild trust with families who want nothing more than to create happy memories with their children, this starts at reverting the policy changes at Alton Towers. Accessibility should be rooted in compassion, not suspicion. As a SEN parent, I don’t want special treatment. I want my child to be welcomed, believed, and able to experience the same joy as every other child, without their disability being questioned. Because inclusion should never feel like something we have to beg for.
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