Accessibility - New York Aquarium

Accessibility Service Dogs

The New York Aquarium offers a diverse collection and superb viewing experiences for all our guests. Whether you're getting a snorkeler's-eye-view of a coral reef, or cheering on California sea lions at the Aquatheater, you'll find plenty to see and do during your visit.

This webpage provides information and identifies the accommodations we are broadly able to provide to support guests with disabilities during their visit. Please consult the current park map, available on your mobile device or posted in the Lobby, for daily information and schedules.

For additional questions, or assistance with visit planning, please contact Guest Relations at guestrelations@wcs.org or 718-220-5103. Due to high volume of correspondence, we recommend reaching out at least 7 days prior to a planned visit.

All Aquarium buildings and exhibits are wheelchair-accessible.

Exhibit	Stairs	Rough Terrain	Assistive Listening	Touch Exhibit	Low Light
Conservation Hall				X	X
Glover's Reef				X	X
Sea Cliffs					X
Aquatheater	X Ramp Accessible		X
4-D Theater			X		X

Restrooms

There are multiple locations for accessible restrooms: At the Plaza, inside Ocean Wonders: Sharks exhibit, inside Spineless exhibit building and inside the Cafe. There is a Family Restroom located inside the Ocean Wonders: Sharks exhibit, in the last gallery.

SENSORY SENSITIVITIES

The NY Aquarium partnered with KultureCity to improve the park’s ability to assist and accommodate guests with sensory processing needs. The objective is to provide an inclusive and seamless experience for every guest, regardless of age and ability, including those with sensory processing disorders (SPDs). The Aquarium has installed signage identifying quiet zones and headphone zones to help visitors as they explore the grounds.

PREPARING FOR MY TRIP TO THE AQUARIUM

SENSORY BAGS

Sensory bags containing fidget tools, noise-canceling headphones and other resources, are available for checkout (at no cost by leaving an ID) from the Admissions staff at the entrance lobby.

QUIET ZONES

Due to the compact layout of the park, we encourage guests to use the variety of benches spread out around the main Plaza as a good area for a break.

PLEASE NOTE – due to current construction planned for the area between Aquatheater and the Plaza, some benches may be relocated. Thank you for your understanding.

HEADPHONE ZONES

We have identified areas that are noisy and where guests tend to linger as “Headphone Zones.” These areas include: area along Sea Cliffs outdoor exhibits (animal sounds from sea lions and penguins); at Aquatheater show (outdoor amphitheater with music playing during sea lion show); 4D Theater (located outside the park in front of the main entrance.)

FAMILY RESTROOM

A family restroom is located inside Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit – close to the exit of the building.

STAFF TRAINING

Another aspect of the KultureCity partnership involved training Zoo staff members to increase understanding of SPDs, informing them about the efforts the aquarium is making to better serve the community and to discuss strategies each department can implement to support this initiative.

Personal Care Assistant

All guests with disabilities must have a valid form of admission to the zoo. If a person with a disability requires a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) to experience the zoo, accommodations will be made for their visit. Reservations for the primary guest needs to be made in advance. Once a reservation is made, please contact guestrelations@wcs.org and provide the reservation Order number for assistance on PCA ticketing (subject: PCA admission). Due to high volume of correspondence, we recommend reaching out at least 7 days prior to a planned visit.

For groups of 10 or more, please contact Group Sales for ticketing assistance with PCA accommodations. wcsgroupsales@wcs.org (subject: PCA admission)