The sunny city of San Diego is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. It is the eighth biggest city in the US and shares a border with Mexico, inhibiting a perfect mild, dry-climate temperature year-round with little rainfall.
San Diego is known for its 70 miles of pristine beaches, exciting festivals, and world-class family attractions. It is a great adventure for everyone, with the city having many activities ranging from sophisticated museums to a thriving urban core; alongside an outstanding dining and nightlife scene, everyone can enjoy California’s beach city.
The city is also one of the most disability-friendly and accessible in the world, with a goal of making the San Diego experience available to everyone!
Transportation
San Diego’s transportation system offers many resources to help provide accessibility and a no-hassle process when travelling. From the airport to your preferred destination, we recommend taking the Cloud 9 Super Shuttle, which has an easy and convenient process to make your first experience with the city stress-free. You can book your ticket on their website to reserve your seat and once at the airport, you can find their offices in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Make sure to check in with your accommodation requests and they will serve you to your needs.
For accessible public transport, the Accessible Tourism and Transportation Information network (ATTIN) has certified multiple transit lines that are accessibility-friendly. The North County Transit District, which services areas of San Diego North County and Coaster, as well as the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, which runs through San Diego, East County, and South Bay. There is also a paratransit service, MTS Access, that runs through San Diego County, but must be booked 48 - 24 hours in advance with certification before using the service.
Accessible Beaches
Beaches are the heart and soul of San Diego and no trip here would be complete without a visit to the variety of sun-kissed shores! To ensure everybody can enjoy their stay, the city has made an effort to include more accessible infrastructure on their beaches.
Across nine of their major beaches, San Diego provides free, manual, and powered wheelchairs that are sturdy, comfortable, self-propelled, and created to withstand the fine sand. It is a hybrid of dune buggies and common power wheelchairs that are served on a first-come basis. They can be found at Mission Beach, Coronado Beach, Imperial Beach, Oceanside Harbour Beach, La Jolla Shores, Ocean beach, and Moonlight Beach (which also has accessible floating chairs).
All of the wheelchairs are free of charge and can be found at the main lifeguard tower at each beach. The only beach without wheelchairs located at the main lifeguard tower is Imperial Beach, with their wheelchairs found at the Dempsey Holder Safety Center, near the entrance of the beach.
Select beaches also include beach mats to ensure an easy process when getting to the beach. Large spikes keep the mats stable and create an accessible pathway when navigating your way there. Imperial Beach has these mats installed near Pier Plaza and Dunes Park, Cardiff State Beach has these mats near Lifeguard Tower 15, and Moonlight Beach, with a year-round 150 feet mat placed near their lifeguard tower.
Disability-Friendly Activities
Museums:
There are endless amounts of activities in San Diego that are not only entertaining but accessible. Visit Balboa Park, America’s largest urban park that is made up of 19 garden spaces, 17 museums, 15 restaurants, 8 performance spaces, the list goes on! They have accessible bathrooms, bus and tram stops around the park, and some museums have assistive listening systems, wheelchair rentals, and entrances for service dogs. Since each museum is run independently, it is important to check its accessibility standards beforehand. For easy access to the whole area, you can rent out an Electriquette Wicker Cart, with the requirement of a driver's license and being over the age of 16.
Performing Arts:
Do you enjoy jazz, opera, and theater? Well, San Diego has a plethora of performing arts venues that provide special accessibility resources so that you can enjoy the beautiful art the city has. The Tony-award-winning theatre, The Old Globe provides wheelchair-accessible seating, an assistive listening system in all three theaters, open-caption performances, and even ASL-interpreted performances (that have to be booked three weeks in advance). The same resources can be found at La Jolla Playhouse, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, and San Diego Civic Theater.
Local Events:
To admire the local culture of San Diego, don’t miss their two biggest events of the year, the Del Mar Racing Season from mid-July to September, and the Comic-con Convention that runs in July. These events both have services made for disability-friendly visitors. With so many things to do, how can you not love this city!
Dining
The city takes pride in its world-class restaurant establishments that use local produce harvested from its farms and seafood straight from the Pacific Ocean. You need to get a taste of the local food San Diego has to offer!
Try Peohe's, a stunning waterfront restaurant that displays an exquisite view of the city’s skyline and San Diego Bay. Its dishes are influenced by the Pacific Rim flavours, making it one of the best places to try authentic fresh seafood dishes. Want to experience the historic charm of San Diego? Visit the Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park that uses unique interior design inspired by the park’s museum’s collections, creating a fascinating experience with a good meal!
These restaurants provide a great dining option while remaining open to accessibility standards. They both provide accessible parking spaces, bathrooms, and a 34” height by 19” depth table knee clearance. This way, you can enjoy the finest of San Diego’s food culture without any worries.
San Diego is a city you must visit and experience. Its variety of accessible transportation systems, beaches, activities, and fine-class dining, make it a perfect destination for those who are looking for a disability-friendly spot. For more information about the city’s services, visit their official website. Have a safe journey, and have a wonderful month of disability pride!
Originally Written: Nadim Kassymov
Edited: Vinita Malik
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