Home » Outdoor & Recreation » Travel & Disability » Wheeling Through the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Wheeling Through the Monterey Bay Aquarium

© Scott Paul Rains

The perfect "10-out-of-10" wheelchair accessible building may not exist. But after visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey California, I know where I'd send someone who asked me how to build - and staff - one. The first thing I'd ask them to do is get in a wheelchair and roll along beside me. Imagine yourself in that chair and take the tour with me.

Enter. Yes, the Aquarium has the usual awkwardly tall ticket booth, but, the staff person is quite accommodating. During this construction period everyone enters through the big, manually opened door at the Group Entrance. It swings easily - with no threshold at all. Onto the easy-rolling tile floor -- you're in! Spaciousness is the first impression.

Look up. The Marine Mammal display leaves you feeling dwarfed and awed. You can find a spot near the fixed benches to comfortably view the continuously playing movie on whales, seal lions and dolphins.

Look over your shoulder. The Sea Otter home can't help but make you feel playful. There's a ramp near the cafeteria to take you to the sunken viewing area right up against the glass. Close and dark, but not claustrophobic, as you sit face-to-face with an impressive wall of water. Otter antics and audience appreciation make the space entertaining. For a top-down view of these critters, look at the monitors on the wall.

Plan your path.. Rule #1 is: Don't miss the feedings! A close second: Take in the movies.

Shop. If you have some time on your hands for the next showing, as I did, give in to the temptation of the two shops on either side of you. The aisles are wheelchair navigable whether you head towards the logo clothing, sea-motif silver jewelry, books, or baubles. Be advised. There's another shop upstairs near the Penguins and a fourth at the Jellies: Living Art exhibit. Great stuff there too.

Watch a movie. The reserved seating in the theater's top row makes it unnecessary to descend the sloped aisle to locate a seat. Staff was quick to approach the non-disabled patrons to vacate these choice seats for me but the guests had already perceived the conflict and were on their way out by the time staff arrived. That comfortable transaction preceded a gripping, and troubling, film introducing the Seafood Watch campaign. Ocean fisheries are being alarmingly depleted. All is not well under the waves. Tangle with Kelp. Facing the columnar, two-story Kelp Forest tank can be disorienting. Sharks circle overhead. Colorful ocean fish lazily swim up to meet you eye-to-eye. An artificial wave machine pulses the long kelp fronds in a hypnotic rhythm and all the tank's residents proceed in that orderly chaos expected of aquarium-dwellers. At feeding time the pace picks up! You can watch the spectacle from home on one of the Aquarium's five web cams. What isn't apparent is that the diver may be one of two volunteer divers who uses a wheelchair when on land. Knowing that we are represented on staff - and in such a prominent role - makes it less surprising to me to find consistently well-trained and attentive staff throughout the facility. Universal design is more than an architectural façade here.