Guide
Going to water parks with low vision
Tips for visiting water parks with a vision impairment. Part of my Summer Fun Series.
Going to water parks with low vision often requires some advance planning, since visitors will have to consider how they will navigate the park, store glasses when not in use, and get an idea of which rides and slides they will want to go on. While some of these plans are more flexible than others, I have found that doing some research in advance can make the water park experience even more fun and can reduce anxiety or worries about visiting an unfamiliar place that may be challenging to navigate visually. Here are my tips for going to water parks with low vision, based on my trips to local indoor and outdoor water parks over the years.
Download park accessibility guide and high-resolution map beforehand
Many water parks and amusement parks have an online park accessibility guide that can provide information on specific rides, park layouts, accessible parking, and stairs-free entrances that can help visitors get the information they need to plan their trip.
Another helpful item to check out in advance is a high-resolution map that can be enlarged/magnified so that visitors can orient themselves to the park layout and identify visual landmarks or areas of interest.
Since many people avoid using technology in the park due to the risk of water damage and it can also be challenging to look at screens while standing in the sun, I recommend viewing both of these resources ahead of the trip.
Related links
- Accessible Maps and Wayfinding Tools For Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Videos and Narrated Images With Clips
Consider watching on-ride videos to view rides in advance
When I was getting ready to update this post, a parent emailed me asking if I had any advice on how to get descriptions of specific rides at a water park so they could determine if it would be something their child would enjoy. One of my suggestions was to search for on-ride videos at specific parks, which provide a first-person POV of the ride experience and visuals from beginning to end. These may be posted by the water park as an official video, or by guests who have special cameras that they use to film their experience. These videos can provide information not only about the physical ride experience, but also other sensory characteristics like lighting, sound, and other ride equipment that may be used.
Use a human guide to navigate the park and surrounding areas
While a blindness cane can withstand a rainstorm or getting wet, it isn’t particularly useful in a swimming pool or on a water slide, especially since it could easily get broken. Many water parks also do not allow service animals to go near the water, meaning that a guide dog would have to be supervised by a non-rider. Even visitors with visual impairments who don’t regularly use mobility aids may find it more challenging to use their vision due to extended time in the bright sun, not being able to wear glasses, or competing sensory input in the form of rushing water or people talking loudly. In these situations, it’s important to have access to a human guide that can help someone navigate their surroundings and that is within arm’s reach in case of unexpected obstacles.
I have an entire post about how to be an effective human guide, but some of the most important points include:
- Announce potential obstacles such as a curb, open body of water, low hanging branches, or a pothole
- Use terms such as turn left/right, straight ahead, or clock faces (i.e 3 o’clock) instead of terms like right here, over there, etc
- Do not grab onto a person with vision loss without their consent unless they are in immediate danger (i.e falling into a pool)
- Allow a person to hold onto an arm instead of a hand when walking, as it is easier to grip
Related links
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
- Seven Places I Don’t Take My Blindness Cane
Store glasses in a secure, waterproof location
Some visitors may prefer to keep glasses on at all times, including on rides, by securing them with a sports strap or having prescription goggles. I find these uncomfortable, so I prefer to keep my glasses on until the last possible moment before the ride begins, and then store them in a sports floating bag that attaches to my waist or that fits in a larger pocket. I chose a floating bag because if the bag somehow fell off, we would be able to locate it quickly as it would float to the water’s surface and it also has bright neon colors. A waterproof phone case bag will also fit a pair of glasses comfortably.
While I can go on rides without my glasses, standing in line or going long periods of time without my glasses is disorienting and my eyes start to hurt pretty quickly or I have trouble standing/balancing. For that reason, I keep my glasses on my face until we are about to get on the ride, and then I put them in the waterproof bag. If water park staff ask me to take off my glasses while we are in line, I show them the pouch and say that I’ll be taking them off before the ride but need to keep them on for the time being.
Related links
- How To Deal With Broken Glasses
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Glasses
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
- Learning to Self-Advocate
Identify areas that may potentially have flickering/flashing light effects
At the water parks I’ve been to, none of the rides specifically have strobe or flashing lights, but there are areas where there are flickering, flashing, or strobing light effects due to other environmental factors. This may include but is not limited to:
- Small slits or gaps in a slide or top of the ride that mimic a flashing effect due to the speed of the ride
- Glare or flickering effects on the surface of water
- LED lights that can appear flashing due to ride speed
- Camera flashes/ride photography
- Firework or light shows
In many cases, information on flashing lights or effects will be posted alongside ride safety information in the park or online so visitors can make informed decisions about what rides or park areas they want to visit.
Related links
- How To Check Videos For Flashing Lights
- Flashing Lights and Photosensitivity in the Classroom
- Visiting Holiday Lights With Photosensitivity
Wear a life jacket or use flotation aids
Wearing a life jacket or using other flotation aids is helpful for all visitors, and can be especially useful for visitors with visual impairments who may have more difficulty with balance or orienting themselves without glasses or other mobility aids. As I mentioned earlier, visitors with visual impairments may find it more challenging to use their vision due to extended time in the bright sun, not being able to wear glasses, or competing sensory input in the form of rushing water or people talking loudly, and may easily get lost when trying to navigate a pool area or have trouble locating friends or family members due to difficulties with using their vision. Wearing a life jacket, especially a bright colored one, can make it easier for visitors to enjoy the water safely and be reunited with their group in the event they get separated.
Wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen regularly
Kids with low vision may struggle with putting on sunscreen easily as it can be difficult to see where sunscreen has been applied, or to use spray bottles. This does not mean that they are incapable of putting on sunscreen, but they may need to practice applying and re-applying sunscreen before going to the water park. Another way to minimize the risk of sunburn is to wear protective clothing such as a rash guard, long swim shorts, or a swim dress that has SPF protection and can protect skin from the sun.
When choosing swimwear, go for bright, saturated colors that don’t blend into the pool colors or surrounding areas, which can help with identification and also in case of a safety issue. Kids with low vision may also benefit from knowing what color swimsuits the staff or lifeguards wear so they can locate help if they need it.
Related links
More tips for going to water parks with low vision
- Even though my non-polarized tinted glasses look like sunglasses, I would wear polarized prescription sunglasses when visiting a water park since they are designed for outdoor use. To learn more about tinted glasses, read How Tinted Glasses Help My Light Sensitivity
- Going to an amusement park? Read Going To Amusement Parks With Low Vision
- To find my shoes more easily after storing them for a ride, it helps to have bright colored shoes that stand out against the storage bins so that I can find them more easily. I don’t recommend leaving glasses in storage bins with shoes since they could be damaged.
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Updated July 2024; original post published June 2018.
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