Accessibility Rating- Sea Life Park

My last GoCity pass activity was Sea Life Park, where all the animals are either being rehabilitated or are not releasable back into the wild. This week, I want to rate the accessibility of Sea Life Park in Oahu.

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Ramps, Walkways, and Seating

There were lots of ramps and very few stairs. The bathrooms seemed accessible and clean. All of the walkways seemed large enough to fit a wheelchair and were paved. Accessing the gift shops would be a challenge, as that is where the stairs are. Stadiums for presentations, such as dolphin shows, appeared to be bleachers, so wheelchairs would need to sit in the front at ground level. However, overall, I was able to walk around with no issues after being tired from a workout earlier in the day.

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Presentations

We stayed for two presentations: one about sharks and one about turtles. Each of the presentations was about 15 minutes, and occurred next to the cages of the animals. There was no additional seating, and the hearing range was, however loud the speaker connected to the microphone was. There was no way for deaf viewers to hear what was being said. Standing is the hardest thing for me to do, so by the end of the second presentation, I was hitting my standing limit. While there are benches around the park, they are not located near the presentation locations, so standing was the only option.

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Bathrooms

There were multiple bathrooms. Each one was clean enough, and had what I think were at least one wheelchair accessible stall. While I wouldn't necessarily choose these bathrooms over more fancy ones, they could be a lot worse for a public space. There was enough soap and paper towels, which has been an issue in some bathrooms.

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Animals

The animal facts were interesting, but only in English, so international and blind viewers could not read the facts. You could also hear the birds from a mile away (figuratively), so noise-sensitive guests beware. I loved the animal facts, especially about the dolphins and turtles. I got to see a variety of fish, turtles, sharks, dolphins, and birds. While not all of the cages had animals, all of the animals were ethically acquired.

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Overall

Overall, I rate the park a 4/5 in accessibility. While physical disabilities are accommodated to an extent, which I can speak to, blind, deaf, and neurodivergent guests might have a more difficult time accessing certain features of the park. While I love the mission, views, and setup of Sea Life Park, disabled guests feel like an afterthought instead of being included in the design. I am more critical of this fact due to the research done through the organization, which should be available to all to learn from. I enjoyed seeing the work they do with students and animals, and I hope they consider disabled patrons beyond wheelchair users as they form their programming.

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Thank you for reading about the accessibility at Sea Life Park! If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!