The Best U.S. Theme Parks for Families Traveling with Hearing Loss

Article by Resound.

Choosing the right theme park isn’t just about the biggest rides or shortest queues. For families travelling with hearing loss, accessibility can make all the difference, and new research has revealed which U.S. parks are getting it right.

A new study by Resound reveals which parks are going the extra mile for visitors with hearing loss by analyzing hearing accessibility features across the country’s largest theme parks and ranking everything from assistive listening support to accessibility information.

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida secured the top spot, achieving a perfect score of 60. The iconic destination stood out for its strong number of positive TripAdvisor reviews relating to hearing accessibility, with 7 mentions of keywords such as “sign language”, “ASL”, “deaf” and “hearing loss”, the highest of any theme park analysed.

It also ranked highly for its wide range of accessibility features, including assistive listening and handheld captioning devices, as well as sign language interpreters and detailed accessibility guides and maps, all of which contribute to a more inclusive visitor experience.

Top 10 most accessible theme parks in the U.S:

Walt Disney World Resort – 60/60
Disneyland Park Resort – 58.57
Universal Islands of Adventure – 48.57
Universal Studios Orlando – 45.71
Six Flags Mountain – 41.43
Dollywood – 41.43
Silver Dollar City – 41.43
Six Flags Magic Mountain – 40
Universal Studios Hollywood – 35.71
SeaWorld Orlando – 35.71

Disneyland Park Resort in California ranked second with a score of 58.57, just missing out on the top spot. While it offers all the same accessibility features, it fell slightly behind with just 6 positive reviews on TripAdvisor containing words relating to hearing loss.

Taking third place, Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida scored 48.57. The park ticks nearly every accessibility box, missing out only on handheld captioning devices.