Today at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, The World’s First Peppa Pig Theme Park announced that it will open as a Certified Autism Center and revealed a specially designed ride vehicle that will allow for increased accessibility for children with wheelchairs.
What’s Happening:
- Peppa Pig Theme Park is partnering with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) to earn its accreditation as a Certified Autism Center (CAC) when it opens on February 24, 2022.
- IBCCES will work with the Peppa Pig Theme Park to conduct a staff-wide autism sensitivity and awareness training in addition to making more tangible updates to the in-park communications. The training reviews the areas of sensory awareness, environment, communication, motor and social skills, program development, and emotional awareness and includes a comprehensive autism competency exam.
- The extended commitment will require the Park to continue ongoing staff training past its grand opening to ensure that team members have the requisite knowledge, skills, temperament and expertise to interact with all families and children with special needs, specifically on the autism spectrum.
- In addition to staff training, IBCCES is conducting an in-depth review of the new Park to develop a detailed Sensory Guide. This guide features a review of every attraction by providing insight on how a child with sensory processing issues may be affected by each of the five senses. This will create a comprehensive planning tool that will provide the information needed to make it easier for parents and families to plan activities that satisfy their child’s specific needs and accommodations.
- Little piggies and their families can ride to the sky to enjoy brilliant views from Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride. Guests will enjoy the ride from whimsical baskets, crafted to look like a hot air balloon and are specially designed to allow children who use wheelchairs to roll on to the “balloon basket” without needing to transfer from their wheelchairs.
- The folks from Peppa Pig Theme Park posted this video to Twitter to better show off the new accessible ride vehicles:
- In addition to this very special ride, the playful park’s marquee water play attraction, the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad has been developed with kid-friendly accessibility in mind. The ground will be specially graded for wheelchair use and several heights of water play elements are being choreographed for the enjoyment of all guests and all abilities. This includes a tunnel of water hoops that can be navigated in a wheelchair and additional interactive splash surprises at varying height levels.
- Children in wheelchairs will be able to maneuver and explore the sensory-rich trail of Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour without leaving their own wheelchairs. The enchanting, greenery-covered maze walls of George’s Fort have also been mapped out to all ADA guidelines and standards. Additionally, all the Fun Fair free game counters have been constructed at accessible heights to be easily enjoyed by everyone.
The World’s First Peppa Pig Theme Park opens February 24, 2022 next to LEGOLAND Florida.