Trick-or-treating is an exciting and highly anticipated activity that youth across the nation love. Dressing up as your favorite character and going door-to-door to show off your costume and get free candy is a highlight for many kids.

Yet, a lot of youth are unable to participate in the invigorating festivity due to inaccessibility. Not being able to participate in trick-or-treating can be a very difficult and saddening experience that makes those who are disabled or struggle with accessibility feel excluded and like they’re missing out on such a pivotal experience. 

Though you cannot rid the world of inaccessibility, there are things you can do to make your house a more accessible place for trick or treaters. 

Infrastructure 

Most accessibility issues for trick-or-treaters come from inaccessible architecture or infrastructure. Things like stairs, rocky pathways, and plants can be obstacles for some people. Though you can’t change the layout of your house, yard or driveway, you could make adaptations to make it as accessible as possible.

1. If the pathway to your door has furniture, decorations, or other obstacles blocking it, that could prevent somebody in a wheelchair, using a walker, or using another mobility aid from getting to your door. Make sure to clear obstacles out of the walkway to provide those who may need it an unobstructed and wide path.
2. Make sure that pathways are well-lit. Well-lit pathways help prevent injuries from tripping or colliding with obstacles. Well-lit pathways also help define pathways so that those who are blind or visually impaired can more easily locate where they need to go and avoid going off-path.
3. Though having fun and flashy Halloween decorations is fun, they could put people with certain health issues in danger. Avoid strobe lights and other flashing lights as they could cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Avoiding bright and flashy lights is also beneficial to people with certain eye conditions who may experience light sensitivity.
4. If your plan for Halloween is to leave a bucket of candy outside with a sign saying “Please Take One” and hiding in your house with all the lights off, it’s best to put the candy on a table, stool, or something else that can act as a platform, ensuring that those who cannot reach the floor are still able to reach the candy.
5. If your house has stairs or a walkway that even with the aforementioned adaptations wouldn’t be accessible to somebody in a wheelchair, using a walker, with a visual impairment, or with another disability that affects navigation, it might be best to pass out candy outside of your house instead of waiting inside for trick-or-treaters to come to your door. Setting up a table to pass out candy outside at the end of your driveway or walkway is a great way to make trick-or-treating a more streamlined experience for both disabled and non-disabled people alike. It also gives you the opportunity to be outside and witness your community coming together for a great cause—free candy! If you do decide to set up a station outside, make sure not to block the sidewalk to ensure easy passage for trick-or-treaters and other pedestrians.

Etiquette

When passing out treats, it’s important to be mindful of how different trick-or-treaters may act and how you might be able to assist them. 

1. When trick-or-treaters come to your house, don’t be alarmed if they don’t immediately say “trick or treat”. There are many factors that may limit one’s ability to communicate and they may or may not be visible. A trick-or-treater may be nonverbal and may not be able to communicate their gratitude to you. Don’t be offended if you don’t get a “thank you”—they most likely didn’t intend to be rude. Some trick-or-treaters may also be deaf or hard of hearing and may not be able to speak to you or to hear what you are saying to them. If you have an extra few minutes, learning some basic sign language that is relevant to Halloween—things like “trick or treat”, “thank you”, and “you’re welcome”—can make all the difference in being able to effectively communicate with deaf or hard of hearing trick-or-treaters.
2. Something to look out for when passing out candy is trick-or-treaters with blue Halloween buckets as they may be used to indicate that a trick-or-treater is autistic and may struggle with communication. Not all autistic trick-or-treaters will use a blue bucket and not all trick-or-treaters using a blue bucket will be autistic but it can be useful to be a little extra mindful and patient with those trick-or-treaters who do carry blue buckets.
3. Different from a blue Halloween bucket, a teal Halloween bucket can be used to indicate that a trick-or-treater has a food allergy and it would be best to give them treats that aren’t candy or make sure that the treats you give them are safe for their individual allergies. There are many different types of allergies or dietary restrictions so it’s always good to have some non-candy options for those trick-or-treaters who may not be able to eat the standard treats.

Treats

It’s best to have treat options that aren’t candy such as stickers, glow sticks, bubbles, rings, pencils, and small toys, but it can also be useful to be mindful of what treats those with specific food allergies or dietary restrictions can and cannot have.

Nut-allergy safe candies include (but are not limited to) Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Haribo gummy bears, Dum Dums lollipops, Sour Patch Kids, Tootsie Rolls, Swedish Fish, and Twizzlers. Overall, most gummy or fruity candies should be nut-free but always be sure to check the label before ruling out the possibility of nuts being an ingredient.

Candy that is not nut-allergy safe includes but is not limited to Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, Almond Joy, and candy corn.

Gluten-free candy includes but is not limited to Butterfinger, Almond Joy, Starburst, Lemonheads, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Tootsie Rolls, and Skittles.

Candy that those with gluten allergies should avoid include but are not limited to Twix, Kit Kat, Whoppers, 100 Grand, Candy Corn, Milky Way, Twizzlers.

Dairy-free candy includes but is not limited to Airheads, Jolly Ranchers, Laffy Taffy, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, Nerds, Starburst, Sour Patch Kids, Dum Dums lollipops, and Skittles.

Candy that is not safe for those with dairy allergies includes but is not limited to Almond Joy, Hershey’s Bars, Butterfinger, M&Ms, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Candy Corn, Snickers, Whoppers, Tootsie Rolls, Twix, and Kit Kat. Overall, most chocolate candies will contain dairy but you should always read the label to confirm if something contains dairy or not.

Those are just some common allergies but there’s a multitude of other possible allergies so it’s always best to do your own research and to check candy labels to confirm their ingredients and possible contaminations. 

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Being conscious of accessibility and making an effort to ensure that trick-or-treating at your house is accessible is what allows those trick-or-treaters with disabilities and medical conditions to enjoy Halloween and be included in all of the fun.