Hearst Castle- Accessibility Review

Last weekend, I went to Hearst Castle for the first time with a group of friends. This week, I want to review the accessibility of the Grand Rooms tour and visitor center. Unfortunately, I cannot provide photos of the castle because they cannot be published online without written permission. However, I can show pictures of the wild animals that are nearby. William Hearst once had a private zoo, and some animals that are typically not in California can still be seen nearby. Most of these animals in the photos will be zebras.

1: Website Accessibility

The Hearst Castle Website states that wheelchairs, service animals, listening devices, and touch interactive experiences can be provided for guests with disabilities. There is no mention of services for nonphysical disabilities such as autism, neurodivergence, or other nonphysical disabilities. In my time rating accessibility, this website accessibility notice is standard, in that it does the bare minimum but does not go above and beyond. To improve, Hearst Castle could think about how other guests with disabilities can experience the space.

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2: Bathrooms

Renovations were occurring when I went, so there were no working bathrooms beyond port-a-potties throughout the entire facility. It was absolutely gross and unfortunate. One positive was that there was a portable lactation room for mothers. However, none of the port-a-potties appeared to be wheelchair accessible. I will talk about this more in the next section, but there seemed to be an assumption that guests in wheelchairs could stand up, when that is not the case for many. I don't know what people in wheelchairs are expected to do, because there are no other buildings nearby with bathrooms.

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3: Transportation

The bus to transport us from the visitor's center was very accessible. There was a wheelchair space, and I believe that if someone in a wheelchair had been there, there would have been a way to bring them on the bus. We were the only group to book an ADA tour, so we had a private tour. However, the golf cart that took us between grounds was less accessible. To access it, you must take a step from the ground to the seat. This meant that anyone who was paralyzed could not easily stand up and access the golf cart-like vehicles used for large parts of the tour. Other than the golf cart, I can see where the tour made an effort. If you needed to sit, you could ask for chairs. I did not ask for a chair and then regretted it.

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4: The tour at large

Overall, I can see the effort the tour put into being accessible. Guests could ride on golf carts, ask for seating accommodations, ride special buses, and easily access these services for no extra charge. The castle was very pretty, and our tour guide did a good job of being engaging and answering our questions. It was very fast-paced, so at times I struggled to keep up with all the information, but I found it interesting. Our tour guide was also especially accommodating and engaging. By the end of the tour, I felt tired but recognized that the ADA accommodations helped me save energy. However, there were some gaps in accessibility. First, one of the visitor center workers made a snarky comment to us for booking the ADA tour because no one was in a wheelchair. Little did he know that three out of four of us in our group have a physical disability. Next, not having accessible bathrooms for an extended period of time is concerning. Finally, I hope that accessibility can branch out to include other types of disabilities and become more accessible for those who are paralyzed or partially paralyzed. I rate the accessibility a 3/5, with changes in employee attitude and inaccessibility for wheelchair users who cannot stand being the two main reasons for this score.

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Thank you for reading about the accessibility of Hearst Castle. 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!