The Woodland Park Zoo will host a Disability Pride Month event this Sunday, offering free admission to guests with disabilities, their friends, and family.
The event, held in partnership with the Seattle Public Library, aims to celebrate and welcome people with disabilities.
The initiative focuses on accessibility, providing barrier-free experiences for all visitors at the zoo.
This year marks the fourth time the Woodland Park Zoo has hosted the event, recognizing Disability Pride Month in July. The month is celebrated to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
The event will feature various activities designed with accessibility in mind, including story time with American Sign Language interpreters, a braille-enhanced story stroll and sensory experiences in the Rose Garden.
A zoo official emphasized the importance of such events for the community.
“Events like this really help the community advocate for each other,” said Alexander Jones, Woodland Park Zoo’s Senior Strategist of Accessibility and Inclusion. “It celebrates our individuality and really provides people with that understanding of equity and inclusion.”
The zoo includes several accessibility features, including tactile maps for navigation, companion seats located by benches, and ramps in unexpected places, such as on the carousel.
“I think people find that seeing themselves welcome at the zoo, seeing that the zoo is a place that they can participate and enjoy the animals barrier-free, is truly that moment of I feel welcome here,” Jones said.
Free admission for the event is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests planning to attend should inform staff upon arrival that they are there for Disability Pride Month.
Join story time in the zoo’s Picnic Shelter at 11:00 a.m.
You can visit partner booths on the North Meadow for fun activities and information about disability services throughout the city. Guests are also invited to visit the Sensory Garden in the Rose Garden.