Disability Accessibility: Georgia Aquarium

After a recent trip to the largest aquarium in the country, the Georgia aquarium in Atlanta Georgia, I want to break down the accessibility and inclusivity we experienced during our visit. They’ve recently been designated as the first aquarium to be a Certified Autism Center! Employees on the front line staff are trained on working with guests on the spectrum and offer many accommodations for disability so of course we had to give it a try!

Tickets can be purchased online before arrival or at a kiosk just prior to entering the aquarium. I found purchasing online to be simple and a slight discount over purchasing on site. 

The first thing to note upon entering a Georgia Aquarium is is parking. 

Handicap parking is in a yielded section to the left so follow your signs and proceed as signs suggest. We did pay for parking at the aquarium parking deck and use the elevators which were adequate. 

As you make your way towards the aquarium in the breeze-way type corridor, you will eventually approach an aquarium employee giving direction of how to enter through security. For us, Kaylee‘s power wheelchair was a visible indicator that we needed alternative assistance but your family may not have as apparent a need so feel empowered to speak up with this employee and let them know you need alternative entry. We simply went straight through and skipped all of the security portion and all along the way were waved forward with no hold up or difficulties at all.

When entering the actual building we were directed straight in and then to tap styles where an employee would scan your phone with the barcodes for each ticket. I only saw people scanning phones though I’m sure a print out would work. All in all, entry is super efficient for all guests and the extra mile they took to ensure ease for a disabled guest was excellent.

The environment of the aquarium is pretty loud and busy. They do offer a sensory experience the first hour of each day where lighting is dimmed and music is reduced.

Within what I’ll call the large lobby area of the aquarium on the first floor you can find an information desk on the right hand side after entering. Here you can of course ask any questions you may have about your experience and request recommendations based on your needs, but I primarily want to direct your attention here because the Georgia aquarium now offers a sensory bag for its guests. This is some thing I think is a wonderful opportunity and so kind for a place to consider the experience of all who attend. We asked for a sensory bag and they had us leave a drivers license in exchange for a high-quality bag that included a set of noise cancelling headphones (Kaylee could still hear us speak to her easily), two sensory fidgets, and a communication card.

At the end of our visit we did return the bag and receive the drivers license back easily. They do sanitize well between uses. The bags are first come first serve.

I think my personal advisement, that was never asked for LOL, is that they request the headphones to be returned but allow the individuals to keep the fidgets or create an inclusive bag that would allow for the person to keep its contents. I think it is valuable to continue offering the headphones as those were great, high-quality and you absolutely should only borrow those- but the other items were very low cost and could have easily been a small gesture of kindness that allows the child to take it home. 

Again, that is just my humble opinion and maybe they’ve already took those things in to consideration and this is the first version of an attempt to offer inclusivity,. Regardless I think it’s a great feature to know about and share with others.

Let’s talk about maneuvering the aquarium overall.

There’s plenty of space and no tight areas that were difficult to get around. The hallways were wide and the galleries were very spacious which was great for a large wheelchair. 

There were multiple galleries on the first floor and the café is also on the main floor. Wherever there were stairs there were also ramps. Wherever they were escalators there was also an elevator present. We never felt like it was difficult necessarily to arrive where we intended. 

Within the galleries many areas had wheelchair viewing sections marked. This was noted with a blue floor mat with a white wheelchair symbol. These were present only at the large viewing areas where many people tend to congregate. Any of the smaller displays we just waited our turn or skipped them all together lol. This was so nice to know that we were considered in developing the layout of the galleries. Sure there’s plenty of space overall but if people are crowded, face planted right against the glass all along the display, it makes it so a wheelchair user never is able to adequately see up close. The guests were great about moving quickly out-of-the-way if they saw Kaylee’s wheelchair. 

This is not a location for strollers unless a stroller is being used as the mobility aid for a disabled person and I did not see anyone using the space that did not require it. 

There are burgundy mats in select locations that are specifically for little kids or strollers to be able to move up to the front also so look for those areas when they are available. 

There were two sections of touch ponds. Neither were some thing Kaylee could participate in. I don’t know if there is a way they could make it accessible though.Perhaps having a separate station where the experience is elevated and a chair could drive under it would be nice. I just don’t know if logistically it would work for the marine life. Kaylee was fine with it but I do wish that it was accessible for all.

Something else I found in the galleries were headphone sections. It seemed as though they were designated areas for someone who needed to calm down or sit in the quiet for a bit? I don’t know that they actually work as intended though. There was no change in surroundings or seating or anything in those designated spaces other than a small sign that indicated. Again, I truly appreciate the intent but it probably needs some work to make designated areas for calming. The sections were not even in isolated places just right along the flow of the exhibit.

There are three shows available that are included in the price of your ticket. There’s a 4D experience, a sea lion show, and a dolphin show. We only saw the dolphin show. I can only assume the others are similar but I will not speak to those since I don’t have first-hand accounts. There are QR codes located throughout the aquarium directing you to scan and select a time slot if you’d like to view any of these shows. It was very easy to reserve a spot and I’m sure the information desk could help as well if you did not have a phone with you. There is an option on the sea lion and the dolphin show for preferred seating which is five dollars per person to ensure you get a seat in the middle section. Those are still first come first serve so clearly the people who arrive earlier would get the seats closer to the front but still in that preferred section. Online it said for wheelchair users not to select and pay for preferred seating because there are specific areas wheelchair users have to stay. When it was our time-slot we were suggested to arrive about 15 minutes early. From the main lobby you would approach the Dolphin Quest area where you see escalators and a large elevator to the right. You’ll take this up to the second floor and unload. You’ve got a little distance ahead of you before you see an employee that directs you where to go. She saw our wheelchair and said we would meet another employee that would direct us to the next elevator. When entering the theater we were in fact sent to an elevator that took us to the third-floor. This is actually one large section up from the base of the show. Since the first 10 rows are considered a splash zone and we saw people get super wet, I was not mad about needing to be higher up. Lol. 

There was wheelchair seating available on the far left of the theater on that level and on the far right which is directly out of the elevator. An employee is there to guide you where to park your wheelchair and will place a folding chair for one guest to sit with the wheelchair user while the remainder of the party sits in front of the wheelchair section. It was a great show that I would recommend. There is a whistle for the dolphins that is high-pitched but not loud. That would be the only trigger to be aware of I would think.

I always have to comment about bathrooms lol it seems to be the most inconsistent when we go places.

While the Georgia Aquarium was knocking it out of the park on inclusivity for the most part, their bathrooms were definitely lacking.

At first glance I thought it was going to be wonderful because in the largest bathroom set up there was a handicap stall in addition to a wheelchair stall. That’s always good news for us because it means when they built the bathrooms they were aware someone who needs to hold a handrail and needs an accessible toilet is not the same as someone in a large wheelchair with a companion that needs lots of space. 

First of all , the wheelchair bathroom was actually still pretty small. I could barely get Kaylee‘s chair in and myself as well. Of course we made it work but not ideal. Another thing that I have mixed feelings about is having the changing table in the handicap bathroom.

Here’s why.

I do know there are children who require changing by lying them down in an age range far beyond the norm when you have a disability. There’s a window of size where a child can still utilize the fold down changing tables safely which can still be beyond the normal range age range making it nice for the parent to have a private space to change their child— we were in this stage for a while when Kaylee was younger. So I do see the benefit of having that private space however, having the only changing table be in the handicap stall means that the stall is not available as long as there’s a parent changing an infant within stall.

On our visit, there were two infants with their moms ahead of us to utilize the handicap stall. It’s not always a quick thing for mom is to change diaper explosions on squirmy babies so you can imagine how difficult and frustrating it was to have to wait that long and the impending accident that occurs for a disabled person waiting. Of course it was not the mothers fault whatsoever, I just wish the design allowed for a different outcome.

We did use multiple bathrooms while at the aquarium. They were plenty nearby when we needed it, but all of them did miss the mark when it comes to sizing for a wheelchair.

Lastly I want to highlight another truly considerate aspect of the aquarium. On the second floor there’s a room with a keypad dedicated to sensory overstimulation. Instructions are on the wall beside the door to enter on how to go in. Inside, there were multiple options for children to engage in sensory play or calm in bean bag chairs and other seating. It was quiet and lights were dim. 

I appreciate so much when an establishment goes the extra mile to find ways to accommodate. This was a home run. There’s a video of the sensory room and more of our visit on my instagram highlight- Georgia Aquarium.

A Georgia Aquarium visit ended up being an amazing day for our family. We were there for about four hours and still did not do two of the shows so I’m sure we could’ve stayed in another hour easily. The cost is $40 a person for all ages if no discounts are applied. One excellent benefit of being a Georgia resident and visiting the Georgia aquarium is, if you visit on your birthday you can get in for free! We do like to take advantage of this offer. There’s details on their website about the inclusivity I’ve spoken of as well. I think it’s a lovely choice for all ages and all abilities. 

I could see people using walkers or other mobility aids there easily as well. There’s lots of areas to sit and rest. There’s food and beverage choices and of course as you exit, there’s a large gift shop so you can’t miss it. If you don’t want to be stuck with another stuffed animal you might want to walk quickly lol. 

My theory and my conviction about accessibility is not necessarily that it’s perfect or that every aspect must be adapted. My biggest hope is that awareness is there so that the inclusivity is attempted. 

Did the aquarium do everything perfectly? No. But did they try earnestly? Absolutely, and for that I give huge props. 

So they now have a big fan in the Hildebrandt household. I’ll be sure to recommend visiting for disabled families from here on out.