James chose angel hair, then changed his mind. Like all of us.
We ordered for him. He was frustrated. He wanted rigatoni—and ordered it himself.
We were proud of him. We should have let him show the choice board directly to the server.
We can love James completely and still have parenting habits—and ableism—to unlearn.
We need help, too. Pictures of pasta are concrete; making pictures of abstract emotions useful remains elusive for us.
In the waiting area, a fellow disabled teenager connected with James over Lilo & Stitch. They explored his AAC together. A new friend before dinner.
We love the food and quick, friendly service. Three more reasons we return:
- Join the waitlist online before arriving, then check in with the host.
- Ask about bar-area tables. We’ve enjoyed them on other visits, though not this time.
- Pay at the table when you’re ready to leave.
Olive Garden’s waitlist instructions · Checked October 25, 2026. Availability and wait times vary; this is our family’s experience.
The pasta choice board
I use ChatGPT on my phone to make choice boards in real time. We haven’t yet found software for James’s AAC device that offers this. We did it for ice cream at Ranc’s, too.
Download the pasta choice board (PNG)
Independent board with AI-generated food illustrations, based on the menu during our visit. It is not an official Olive Garden menu. Check current choices with your server.
Keep familiar AAC available, including ways to say no, ask for help, or choose something else.
His right to choose includes his right to change his mind.
Share the story and the resource
Sharing graphics, captions and image descriptions
A suggested caption
A short Story caption
Image description
Cream graphic headed A dinner at Olive Garden. Navy text reads: James wanted rigatoni. His parents stand corrected. Room to choose. Time to change his mind. A free pasta picture choice board. Read the story and get the board at anausomelife.com/olive-garden/. Credit: An AUsome Life / @anausomelife.
Created independently by An AUsome Life. These resources are not official Olive Garden materials or a statement of endorsement. Ask about specific image use.