Hi everyone, my name is James. I’m 21 years old and I’m from Nottingham. I am registered partially sighted and have a genetic condition called Ocular Albinism which affects my iris, retina and optic nerve.
In short, my eyes don’t have enough colour and my brain doesn’t get signals from my eyes fast enough. It also includes nystagmus which means my eyes move from side to side which I can’t control. I want to share what it’s like to visit attractions as someone who is visually impaired and what I do to navigate them, as well as showcasing the accessibility that companies do and don’t offer.
Getting to the attraction
Getting to attractions such as theme parks like Alton Towers and Chessington can be a struggle with a visual impairment and any other condition that makes someone to drive. This is due to the locations being remote for a large number of attractions resulting in a lack of the public transport which I have to rely on. You have to hope somebody with a car will go with you as that is the most convenient way to travel to certain attractions. Alton Towers used to offer a coach service from certain cities, however, it got discontinued due to lack of interest. Some more central attractions are ok to get to due to trains running near them – some of these include Sea Life Birmingham, Drayton Manor and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Ride access passes and Carer tickets
The majority of visitor attractions will offer Carer tickets for anyone with a disability. This means that the person that I travel with will get either a free ticket or a discounted ticket and all I need to do is provide proof of disability. It is a really good way of saving money when traveling to these attractions and is an incentive to visit for people who may have extra hurdles getting there.
Theme parks like the Merlin parks have the option of a ride access pass. The ride access pass gives people with disabilities the option to queue in a separate queue which is usually shorter than the main queue. You have a time card which the operator will tick off and give you a time you can next use it. This is tine added onto the card depending on how long the main queue is. This is useful as it can be more accessible being in a separate queue and also gives you more time to walk to the next attraction. You can bring up to three people on the ride with you with the ride access pass.
Navigating attractions
As a visually impaired person, navigating places that aren’t as familiar can be a struggle. For example, reading maps that aren’t accessible has me relying on someone else reading it for me. I try to memorise buildings or features that stand out so if I return to the attraction, I try and remember my way around that way.
I also really appreciate lots of immersive music and sound effects around attractions. This really makes up for not being able to see some visual props and effects that they may have.
What’s your favourite attraction to visit in the UK? Do you have any accessibility tips to make theme park trips easier? Let us know in the comments!
