To mark National Inclusion Week, we want to celebrate businesses who truly go out of their way to be inclusive, not as a box ticking exercise but as a way of supporting the disabled community and share some insight into what inclusivity actually means for disabled people and their families. 
 

To do this, I want to share some highlights from my own experience of a recent trip to Disneyland Paris and how it opened my eyes to what an inclusive family day out should really be like.

A family day out, all five of us together. 

Over the years we’ve come to accept that a ‘normal’ family day out just wasn't built with families like ours in mind. To be honest with you, we've never been brave enough to take our son to a theme park alongside his brothers before. Our eldest, Ben, is a wheelchair user and we worried that he would be excluded from the rides, and also that his younger brothers would miss out on the full ‘theme park experience’. 

So, we’ve adapted, most of our outings happened in twos: one of us taking the younger two off somewhere fun, while the other stays at home with our disabled son, or we’d delay a day out until one of the rare days we managed to get some extra support in place. We’ve got used to this being just how it was for us.

Disneyland Paris changed all of that. For the first time ever, all five of us went round the park together - nobody splitting off, nobody staying behind - on the same rides, at the same time, in the same carriage. 

It sounds like such a small thing to say out loud, but it meant everything. It was, finally, a proper family day out; the kind that so many families get to take for granted. And more than that, it meant we got to show our boys, in the best possible way, that being a family of five, just as we are, is something worth celebrating.

The Priority Card covers the whole family - not just one carer. 

Disneyland Paris offers something called a Priority Card for guests with a recognised disability. In practice, it means priority access to rides, shows and even restaurant counters. But here's the bit that actually made the difference for us: the Priority Card covers the whole family, not just ‘one’ designated carer.
 
 

That might sound like a small detail, but if you're a SEND family, you'll know exactly why it matters. So many systems are built around the idea of one parent supporting one disabled family member, while everyone else manages as best they can elsewhere. That usually means someone misses out, or the family ends up splitting in two. 

The Priority Card meant all five of us could experience Disneyland Paris together - no one left out, no one having to sit a ride out to stay behind with our son. It's genuinely hard to explain how much that changes a day out until you've spent years without it.
 
We'd even booked our card for the wrong day, if we're honest. No panic though - a quick form on arrival and we had a new one sorted within minutes.

Accessibility isn't bolted on as an afterthought - it's simply how the place works. 

What struck us most, from the moment we arrived, was how visible accessibility was. The whole park felt like it had been built with accessibility in mind, rather than adapted for us as an afterthought. 

We didn't have to hunt for a map or head off to some far corner of the park to find what we needed - accessible counters, seating and entrances were simply part of how the place was built. 
 

There's a dedicated accessible car park right by the entrance nicknamed ‘Winnie'.  Restaurants had accessible seating and tables you can book, so mealtimes aren’t a scramble. And what surprised me most was that every single stall had its own accessible counter built in at the right height - not one solitary adapted till tucked round the side while everyone else queued somewhere else.

Ben could ride with us or in his own carriage. 

Some rides still needed us to lift our son into the carriage ourselves, the way we're used to doing - nothing new there, and the cast members made it easy every time, including on two of the boys' favourites, Frozen and Cars.
 
Two moments from that day really impressed us. 

On Ratatouille, we were given a car with a wider door, built specifically to make transferring him in and out simple. It was the first time he could sit shoulder to shoulder with his brothers, rather than watching from the side while they climbed in.
 

Then came Spider-Man: Web Adventure. We were fully braced to transfer him again, when the cast member at the kiosk asked if we'd like to keep him in his wheelchair instead. It sounds like such a small offer, but it didn't feel small to us.

For the first time in a long time, we didn't feel like we were creating extra work for anyone. We just felt expected, and welcomed, exactly as we were.

Inclusion means more than accessibility, it’s about reconnecting the family.

If there's one thing this trip taught us, it's that inclusion isn't only about the family member who needs the extra support - it's about everyone around them too. Carers, parents, brothers and sisters all matter just as much. Disneyland Paris didn't just make space for our son; they made space for all five of us, together, without anyone having to compromise. That's a genuinely magical thing to experience as a family, and it's exactly what we'd love every UK venue to aspire to. 

Thank you, Disneyland Paris - you gave us the experience of a lifetime by showing us what a truly inclusive, accessible and magical family trip looks like!

Why we're celebrating Disneyland Paris this National Inclusion Week

This year's National Inclusion Week theme is ‘Build Trust. Navigate Change.’ This is exactly what we saw and experienced at Disneyland Paris:

·         a Priority Card that covers a whole family, not just one carer

·         ride carriages designed to keep a wheelchair user in his own chair

·         accessible counters at every single stall, not one adapted till tucked round the side.

That's what inclusion looks like when a business follows through on it, not just talks about it. This is the standard we'd love to see more UK venues, employers and brands aspire to. It's also proof that inclusion works best when it considers the whole family, not just the person who needs the support: Disneyland Paris made room for every one of us. That's exactly the kind of example we want to spotlight this National Inclusion Week.

Blue Badgers members get Disney+ for £3.99 a month for 4 months

To celebrate Disneyland Paris this National Inclusion Week, we have a great offer for Blue Badgers members to sign up to Disney+ for only £3.99 per month for 4 months. A lifetime of great stories awaits. Stream blockbuster movies, brand new originals and exclusive hit shows, from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, Hulu, National Geographic and FX.

Explore more with Blue Badgers

If you're weighing up an accessible family holiday, Blue Badgers can help you find accessible venues, offers and community recommendations closer to home too.

Join Blue Badgers to explore more accessible days out and member offers or get in touch to share your own family's story - we'd love to feature it.

Huge Savings. Made Accessible.

This article reflects one family's personal experience and is intended as an illustrative example, not a guarantee of specific ride or venue arrangements, which can vary and change. Always check current accessibility details, and any member offer terms, directly with the venue or on bluebadgers.co.uk before you travel.