my ipad is disabled but wont connect to itunes

so i recently found my old ipad mini but dont remember the password. after several attempts and many minutes later, any time the sceen is on it reads "ipad is disabled, connect to itunes." HOWEVER, when said ipad is plugged into the computer with itunes logged in and running, a notification pops up that reads "you must put in the passcode on the device before it can be connected to itunes blah blah blah" but i still dont know the password. holding down the power button does absolutley nothing and a forced restart doesnt work either. whats a gal gots to do to get this baby up and running?