Bournemouth Aviation Museum

WatchUsGrow

25 Jun 2023

Great for assistance dog training

4.5

4.5

Date of visit: June 2023

I am a disabled person and a carer or friend of a disabled person and a general supporter of disabled access.

Overall Rating

Excellent

A small attraction but really great fun. Almost everything is hands on. I was able to walk around the attraction instead of using my chair to get the most out of the experiences available. It was great being able to practice being on different air craft with my assistance dog. It’s a great training opportunity for assistance dogs.

Disabled Access In and Around

Good

So this attraction is not very wheelchair accessible. But for walking disabled people it is amazing. To get the most out of the hands on parts of the museum you need to be able to do stairs. All stairs had handrails on both sides and everyone was really patient while I climbed up and bum-shuffled down.

Parking & Transport

Good

Parking is right outside. Very short distance to enter the attraction. There was no shade in the carpark. And the signage was confusing. People visiting the attraction don’t have to pay for parking. But you don’t get told this until inside reception.

Accessible Toilets

Good

There is a disabled toilet. It was spacious with hand rails. It has a radar key to unlock it and a step to enter. The ramps are kept inside the cubicle. A wheelchair user would need help.

Staff

Excellent

10/10 amazing. Everyone there was a volunteer and clearly loved being there. Ocho was one of the first assistance dogs to visit. The signage said guide dogs only. We had a chat about the different types of assistance dogs and I have given them stickers to use to make it more welcoming to assistance dog teams. I think this attraction could be an amazing training opportunity for dogs in training who are thinking of flying in the future. It was great to be able to practice sitting in the plane seats.