Experiencing the wonders of travel can sometimes be challenging with hearing loss, but with a little planning ahead your vacation will be memorable in every sense of the word!
Travel accommodations and tourist destinations worldwide are becoming more sensitive to the unique needs of travelers with hearing loss. Many locations now offer assistive listening devices upon request, and provide site-seeing information in alternative formats (such as narrated tours provided in printed text for visitors with hearing loss). The trick is requesting these accommodations at each venue, even if you do not see a sign or notice listing their availability. A tourist location my have equipment behind the ticket window out of sight. All you need to do is ask!
Some of the most popular tourist locations have gained recognition for their accommodations for people of different abilities, including people who have hearing loss. Here are some examples of accessible destinations:
Walt Disney World
This theme park and resort is a destination practically everyone in the country is familiar with. Walt Disney World takes measures to ensure that their guests with hearing loss enjoy themselves thoroughly. Staying in a Walt Disney World resort provides visitors with a wide variety of assistive listening devices, such as:
- Assistive listening headsets
- Captioned telephones
- Reflective and video captioning
- Sign language interpretation
- Service animals
- Handheld captioning devices
If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, make sure to contact your hotel ahead of time to request these amenities in your hotel room.
Universal Studios
Another theme park giant residing in Orlando is Universal Studios, where guests can partake in everything from roller coasters to rides based off of hit movies such as “Back to the Future,” “Jaws” and “Spiderman.” Universal Studios is also committed to ensuring the needs and expectations of visitors with hearing loss are met. The theme park offers guests with hearing loss interpreted performances of a number of attractions, including during live action shows. Many rides also come standard with closed captioning options and assistive listening devices, and captioned telephones as well as amplification equipment are also available throughout the park.
Holland America Line
Going on a cruise is one of the ultimate vacation options for relaxing leisure while getting to travel to exotic locations. Holland America Line is a British-American cruise line that is based out of Seattle, allowing guests to enjoy cruises to regions all over the world, ranging from Alaska to Australia. Best of all, the cruise line offers plenty of accommodating features for travelers who have hearing loss. In addition to rooms featuring captioned telephones specifically designed for people who are hard of hearing, Holland America Line also possesses amplified telephones, assistive listening systems for theaters, closed caption decoders on televisions as well as visual alert alarms in the event of an emergency.
Washington, DC
A city that’s bursting with incredible history, what makes Washington, D.C., stand out from other potential vacation destinations is the sheer amount of attractions that feature assistive listening devices. Tours for frequented destinations ranging from the White House to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History all offer accompanying hearing loss devices, such as hearing loops and receiver devices and visual captioning.
Wherever your travel plans take you, be sure to ask about what kinds of support technology is provided to help you get the most out of the sights – and sounds!- of your vacation.
