Making Attractions Accessible for People with Cognitive Disabilities
Amusement parks and attractions can be overwhelming for people with cognitive disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s, autism, and dementia. In the IAAPA Expo session “A Stimulating Experience – Excitement for Some, Anxiety for Others,” executives from three attractions discussed the steps they have taken to reduce anxiety and increase inclusion and enjoyment for these guests.
Before it opened, Missouri’s St. Louis Aquarium included people with cognitive disabilities as part of the overall spectrum of groups to be served by its inclusive accessibility policies. Working with representatives from these groups, the aquarium formed a Universal Design Committee to formulate procedures and practices.
“This group met several times with us to help provide direction on our design and the operations afterwards,” said Tamera Brown, executive director of the St. Louis Aquarium. This allowed the facility to develop appropriate aids, such as calming corners, sensory bags, managing wait times to reduce guest anxiety, and installing paper towel dispensers instead of automatic hand dryers to reduce anxiety-provoking noise.
Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Hamilton County, Indiana. Like the St. Louis Aquarium, Conner Prairie has worked closely with community groups to frame its inclusive accessibility policies.
To translate these policies into results, the Conner Prairie team worked directly with autism and disability communities to create numerous programs, according to Norman Burns, president and CEO of Conner Prairie. These programs include Memory Cafes for guests with dementia and cognitive disorders and hiring employees “who are on the spectrum,” he said.
“We also created Indiana’s first fully inclusive playground for children and adults of all abilities so they can play side by side,” Burns added.
Brandon Thom, vice president of Adventure Island, part of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, explained how amusement parks and attractions such as Sesame Place have attained Certified Autism Center accreditation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), in order to better understand and serve guests with autism on their properties.
As a Certified Autism Center, Sesame Place has trained its staff and altered its facility to appropriately serve autistic visitors. They have also worked with Sesame Street and an autistic child’s parent to create Julia, a 4-year-old character who has autism and whose costume occupant has been trained to interact appropriately with autistic children.
“Watching Julia interact and offer her stuffed animal to a child with autism is nothing short of magical,” Thom said. “It really hits you right here in the heart, and we do that every day with Julia.”