Theme Parks and The Special Needs Child

Theme Parks and The Special Needs Child

Whether your child’s need is behavioral or physical, most major theme parks have guidelines in place to accommodate your entire family. The key to a fun-filled day at a theme park is advance planning and communicating with the park's Guest Services Department. Services vary greatly from park to park. Examples are valet parking for Special Needs guests, portable kennels for service dogs whose handlers are enjoying a ride, a decreased wait or no wait policy for guests who cannot tolerate long lines, and wheelchair accessible swimming areas. Some services, such as a guided tour for visually impaired guests or sign language interpreters might require as long as four weeks advance registration. Theme parks might have criteria that have to be met before certain services are offered in an effort to decrease abuse of accessibility accommodations. Many have posted their policies and guidelines on their Guest Services websites, hard copies are sometimes also available by mail. The best way to ensure your child gets the most out of their park experience is to discuss their unique situation with a guest relations coordinator who can guide you in planning your activities.

Here are links and phone numbers for Guest Services at some major Florida theme parks:

Walt Disney World

(407) 939-6244

Walt Disney World Guests with Needs Guidelines

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plain-text/

Kennedy Space Center

(321) 449-4218

Kennedy Space Center ADA Information

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/ada-information.aspx

Busch Gardens, Tampa

1-888-800-5447

http://www.buschgardens.com/bgt2/Plan/ParkInfo.aspx

Busch Gardens Special Needs and Accessibility Guide

http://www.buschgardens.com/bgt2/Explore/BGT_AccessibilityGuide.pdf

Universal Studios, Orlando

(407) 224-4233 option 9

Universal Studios ADA Information
http://www.universalorlando.com/hours-information/theme-park-services/ada-information.html

Sea World

1-888-800-5447800-5447

http://www.seaworld.com/SitePage.aspx?PageID=130

Park Accessibility Guide

http://www.seaworld.com/assetrepo/documents/SWF%20access%20guide.pdf

While this is a brief listing for Florida, we realize and understand that most every theme park in the United States has a policy in place to accommodate Americans with Disabilities. Please check your local park’s websites for details.