CLEARWATER, Fla. — There are countless places to entertain your family around Tampa Bay this summer, but some are more inclusive than others. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is one destination that’s making strides to make sure every visitor feels welcome.
The Worster Family has to be mindful of where they pick and choose their family outings due to sensory sensitivity issues.
The first stop Dayna Worster makes when visiting the Clearwater Marine Aquarium isn’t the dolphins or sting rays; it’s guest services to pick up a KultureCity bag.
“For us, it means the difference from having a good day out or having meltdowns. When they have meltdowns, it’s hard to enjoy things,” said Worster.
Inside the bag, there are noise-canceling headphones, an emotion card, some fidget tools and a lanyard to wear, letting people know you have sensory sensitivity.
Chelsey Gabillo with the guest engagement team said the emotion card helps guests express how they are feeling by simply pointing to a face on a card, while the fidget tools help them get their minds off of the overload they might be experiencing.
Worster said it can be tough for families living with autism to feel accepted everywhere they go.
“People stare at us, they give us weird looks, they are like, ‘Can’t you control your children?’" said Worster. “By having the lanyards like my daughter is wearing, it shows them that, hey, there is something else going on."
“One out of four people do suffer from disabilities, and sometimes those disabilities are invisible disabilities. So people don’t know that, and programs like KultureCity help us identify that,” said Gabrillo.
Worster said by offering simple things like headphones it makes families like hers feel welcome.
“For me, I had to make my own sensory bags to entertain them. Now I don’t have to," Worster said. "Now we can get in the car, we can come here, and that’s one less thing we have to worry about."
The aquarium has also added signage letting families know if they are in a quiet zone or a headphone zone.
“The quiet space is sometimes something that they just need,” said Worster.
The aquarium even supplies a weight-lap blanket upon request.
“She normally would be off running around when we talk. Right now, she’s grounded,” said Worster.
The Worsters hope more family destinations follow the aquarium’s example.
“The more people who have this, the better. It opens up the doors to so many families,” said Worster.
