Accessible Travel: 12 Florida Attractions for Travelers with Hearing Impairments

By Janet K. Keeler

Florida is a land of many vacations. There are, of course, the state’s big attractions and those are the theme parks of Orlando — Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld and more.

There are natural wonders, too, that draw sunseekers, water enthusiasts, hikers and campers, plus birdwatchers. Historic lighthouses, botanical gardens, art and science museums and so much more provide entertainment and enlightenment beyond the wide, white-sand beaches. And then there’s nightlife. And food. And culture.

All of these can be enjoyed by travelers with hearing impairments, from total deafness to varying levels of hearing. Accommodations include sign language interpreters, written guides and texts to accompany tours plus wireless technology that transmits sound to hearing aids and cochlear implants.

As is the same for anyone traveling with a physical challenge, what they will do depends on what they want to do and their own abilities. They know themselves better than anyone but they also should know that Florida’s variety of attractions and sites are accommodating. A service that may prove the most challenging is sign language interpreting because advance notice is often required, sometimes up to two weeks.

While this article lists specific attractions and activities around the state, it is by no means definitive. A call ahead to any attraction or service provider to ask about an accommodation or to inquire about services is smart.

All facilities allow trained service dogs, as per the federal American Disabilities Act, but more information may be needed. Contact before arrival will help procure a tour or make sure the surfing instructor or tour guide knows you are coming and can provide any special instructions.

Travel Help from the App Store

Anyone who has had the guilty pleasure of watching “90 Day Fiance,” knows that smartphones with translation and transcribing apps are a must-have to develop a relationship between two people who don’t speak each other’s language. Sometimes, the language of love just isn’t enough.

This same technology is helpful for people with hearing challenges on a guided walking tour, listening to instructions from a fishing guide or even hearing a bartender at a South Beach hot spot explain a Cuba Libre. (That’s a rum and coke with a squeeze of lime.) Hold a smartphone close to the speaker (or the speaker can talk through the app on their own phone) and the app translates the speech into text. Some of the apps worth checking out include Subtitles Viewer!, Google Live Transcribe, AVA and Rogervoice, which captions phone conversations instantly.

Throughout the state, operators with the Florida Relay Service use specialized equipment to communicate with people who use standard telephone equipment.

To call Florida Relay, dial 7-1-1 or use the following toll-free numbers as needed:

• 1-800-955-8771 (TTY)
• 1-800-955-8770 (Voice)
• 1-800-955-1339 (ASCII)
• 1-877-955-8260 (VCO-Direct)
• 1-800-955-5334 (STS)
• 1-877-955-8773 (Spanish)
• 1-877-955-8707 (French Cr)

12 Florida Attractions for Travelers with Hearing Impairment

The following places all have programs or features for hearing impaired visitors. It’s best to contact them before arrival and inquire about scheduled activities, make appointments for tours and get other information specific to your needs.

Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden

The southernmost city in the United States boasts plenty of entertainment for visitors, including the nightly sunset show at Mallory Square. There’s history: Key West is the home of President Harry S. Truman southern White House and it's where Ernest Hemingway famously wrote a few novels. Their digs can still be toured. A crawl down Duval can have you ducking into more than a few watering holes. But what makes Key West so different from any place you’re likely coming from is the tropical and lush landscape. The 15-acre Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is a respite from sand and surf. Smartphone tours with audio and text are offered and a five-day advance notice can procure a sign language interpreter. The facility also has assistive listening devices.

Ringling Museum, Theater and History Complex, Sarasota

The Ringling complex in Sarasota has at last four experiences rolled into one. The main attraction is likely the Ringling Museum of Art, filled with Italian Renaissance and Asian art and featuring rotating special exhibits. Or maybe it’s Ca’ de’Zan, the winter home of railroad and real estate magnate and circus impresario John Ringling. The Circus Museum that pays tribute to Florida’s three-ring history is also a big draw. The Ringling has several accessibility features for the hearing impaired including a T-Coil looping technology that connects with hearing aids and cochlear implants for shows at The Historic Asolo Theatre. Sign language interpreters are available with two-week advance notice, and assisted listening devices (including neck loops for T-Coil switches) are available for guided tours with no advance notice.

Theme Parks, Orlando

Theme parks throughout the state have made strong efforts to accommodate travelers with special needs. Disney World makes accommodations in its resort rooms — upon request — for phone amplifiers, Text Typewriter (TTY) phones and strobe light smoke detectors. They offer handheld assistive listening devices with amplify sound and have captioning. Sign language interpretation at some live shows on a rotating basis. That call ahead is important! Travelers will find similar offerings at Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and LEGOLAND. LEGOLAND Florida only requires a 24-hour notice for a sign language interpreter for its live shows, a much shorter window than many other attractions.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park

The wildlife at the zoo is endlessly entertaining and a stroll through the grounds and animal enclosures at ZooTampa is wonderful for a multigenerational group. Consider making reservations for Breakfast with the Animals and there are special night events if you’re traveling around Halloween or Christmas. Creatures of the Night, yes please! With two weeks’ notice, sign language interpretation for shows and encounters can be arranged. There are printed scripts always available. Call ahead to find out if naturalists giving lectures can use one of the apps that offer transcription. ZooTampa features Florida fauna, including manatees and alligators, but also animals from the African continent and beyond.

Alligator Viewing, Everglades National Park, South Florida

Thousands of alligators make their home in the Florida Everglades which is the “largest subtropical wilderness in the United States” and a World Heritage Site. The main entrance from Homestead leads to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and the Shark Valley entrance is accessed from U.S. 41 Tamiami Trail in Miami. Both centers show films which are captioned. There are bike paths and a viewing tower at Shark Valley. At the Coe Visitor Center, gators are often spied from the walking trails. Tram tours are accessed from the Shark Valley center and come with Assisted Listening Devices for ranger-led live narration. The boat tour from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center boat tour also has ALDs available. This part of the Everglades is only accessible by boat. Check out more places to see alligators in Florida.

Trail Hiking and Paddling, Statewide

There are dozens of places around the state to get out of the car and discover what some call “Real Florida.” Groomed and accessible hiking trails and well-marked paddling routes, such as the 190-mile Great Calusa Blueway near Fort Myers, get travelers up close with native trees and plants. Many of the hiking trails have excellent signage that provide information of what is being seen. Florida Hikes! offers an extensive accessible-trail guide. Another good resource is AllTrails, which lists more than 2,000 hiking and biking trails in the state. The app includes a database of maps plus lets the outdoor enthusiast get details on each hike. This is ideal for the hearing impaired hiker. For example, the 6.3-mile Wekiwa Springs Volksmarch Trail near Apopka, north of Orlando, includes both natural trails and boardwalks. The beauty of the AllTrails app is that you can share the trail map via your smartphone to someone else you might be hiking with plus the 1,000-plus photos show you want you are going to see.

Old Town Trolley Tours, St. Augustine

St. Augustine is a great spot for a long weekend or a long day of sightseeing. There’s a lot to take in in the historic city established in 1565. Enter the Old Town Trolley which makes 23 stops and is a great way to get acquainted with the city’s historic and cultural sites. You can hop and hop from from light until dark and there’s even nighttime Ghosts & Graveyards tram tours if you like things spooky. Tour transcripts are available. The trams also have accommodations for people using wheelchairs. The free Visit St. Augustine travel app is available on Google Play and the Apple Store. It includes maps and detailed information about sites plus lodging, dining and other recreational activities.

Self-Guided Art Deco Walking Tour, Miami Beach

There’s amazing wildlife in Florida and then there’s the wild life. And what better place to experience the club culture of the state than in South Florida, specifically Miami Beach and South Beach. But before there was the clubbing, there was the pre-war rise of Miami’s winter paradise, typified by Art Deco architecture. The curvy, sexy deco apartment buildings, thankfully, remain and have been turned into swanky hotels and clubs.

There are a number of walking tour companies that guide visitors through the sites, including a variety by the Miami Design Preservation League. The league’s new self-guided audio tour with downloadable transcript is self-paced and includes accompanying written text. The GPS My City app also includes a self-paced guided walking tour of the iconic Art Deco buildings. With the information provided, users can create their own experience or follow a prescribed route.

Birding

Birds love Florida which means birdwatchers love it too. The state is home to some of the showiest birds on the planet including peacocks, herons, egrets and wood storks. It is not uncommon to see electric green parrots congregating in trees and on telephone lines. Florida also has two migratory corridors used by birds from the Caribbean and from as far away as the Canadian prairies that draw even more fine feathered friends Just like humans, they use Florida as a good-weather respite. There are four regional hot birding spots in the state and don’t overlook the balcony of your hotel or your beachside perch. Keep your eyes peeled!

One of the best birding places in the state is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near the Kennedy Space Center. The refuge has an annual birding festival, which draws folks from all over the country. The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail has many more ideas.

Among the great joys of birding is hearing the different calls of the birds, which is one way to identify them. This can be difficult for people with hearing impairment. The BirdNET Sound ID app is an identification aid used via a smartphone. It captures the sounds and helps to identify the birds. There are a number of Florida birding guides, some even free to download to tablets.

EZRide Surf School, Various East Coast Florida Locations

Florida may not be the first place you think of for surfing but the state’s east coast is a pretty good place to learn to hang ten. The EZRide Surf School holds surf lessons at nearly 15 places from Cocoa Beach to Miami Beach. You might just be surprised to see how big the Atlantic Ocean waves get, especially when there’s a storm brewing. EXRide offers lessons for individuals and private groups. Contact the school ahead of time to discuss special accommodations. Not all hearing aids are waterproof so this is something to consider. It is likely you will need a companion that can help communicate safety instructions but instructors are happy to work with special needs.

Manatee Sightseeing Tours, Naples

The lumbering, gentle manatee is something to behold and getting out on the water to watch them is a lot of fun. Manatee Sightseeing and Wildlife Adventures in Naples offers a number of excursions on comfortable pontoon boats suited for parties up to six. The manatee sightseeing tour is 90 minutes long and sails along the canals close to the Everglades. Island tours and sunset cruises are about three hours and there is also a kids’ fishing trip. The excursions are narrated and there are written scripts to accompany them. Contact operators in advance to talk about the possibility of using recording/transcription apps, such as Google Live Transcribe.

Florida Lighthouses, Various Locations

There’s only one state that has more coastline than Florida and that’s Alaska. So it makes sense that with all that coastline, Florida would have a lot of lighthouses. There are 30 sentinels around the state and a handful of them are open to the public year-round plus have keepers’ quarters and museums to tour. Not all of the lighthouses are still active but many have been preserved and even moved, such as Cape San Blas in Port St. Joe in the Panhandle.

One of the most distinctive and popular is the barber-pole striped St. Augustine Lighthouse, which also happens to be the state’s oldest. Visitors can climb the 219 steps of the spiral staircase to the observation deck and get a 360-view of the city and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. There is also a maritime museum with labeled exhibits. A self-paced tour of the grounds comes with a large-print guide. The Key West Lighthouse is now a maritime museum and you can walk up the 88 steps for a birds-eye view of the area. There are admission prices to some of the lighthouses that help pay for maintenance and restoration. Text transcripts are available for guided tours.