Accessibility & ADA Compliance

The Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission invites people with disabilities to experience our programs, services, trails and facilities to discover how our 11,000+ acres of parkland can enrich their lives. We strive to go beyond compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide opportunities for recreation, physical and emotional well-being, and peaceful respite. 

Accessibility Audit

In early 2019, Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission began a year-and-a half long accessibility audit, engaging the WT Group as a consultant to evaluate our compliance with the ADA and overall accessibility. The following reports from the WT Group detail their recommendations to make Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission's parks, programs, and services more accessible to individuals with disabilities. 

Charleston County Parks is currently evaluating all the reports and planning the implementation of the Transition Plan and other recommendations. More information will be available as updates are incorporated.

For more information about accessibility, inclusion, special programs, or our recent Accessibility Audit, please contact Steve Hutton, ADA Coordinator, at 843-795-4386 or by email.


ADA Grievance Procedure

The ADA requires Title II entities such as CCPRC to have an official process for filing a grievance regarding an ADA complaint. We are firmly committed to accessibility in all aspects of our service delivery and believe that we can resolve any concerns or complaints you may have about our ADA compliance more efficiently by contacting Steve Hutton, ADA Coordinator, at 843-795-4386 or by email and letting him know of your concern.


ADA Parking

In compliance with South Carolina law, CCPRC provides free parking for vehicles displaying a handicap placard or license plate at all facilities that charge a vehicle admission/parking charge. This includes Folly Beach County Park, Kiawah Beachwalker Park, Isle of Palms County Park, and the Folly Beach Fishing Pier. Our facilities that charge a per person admission fee do not allow vehicles in free with a handicap placard. This includes James Island County Park, Wannamaker County Park, Palmetto Islands County Park, Laurel Hill County Park, Stono River County Park, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, and Caw Caw Interpretive Center. Visitors with disabilities/handicap vehicle placards receive no special benefits for programs and events, unless there are free programs occurring in one of the facilities listed above which provide free parking as required by law.


Beach & Waterpark Wheelchairs

We offer a limited number of beach/water wheelchairs for use at Folly Beach County Park, Isle of Palms County Park,  Kiawah Beachwalker Park, and our three waterparks on an as-needed basis.

  • Wheelchairs are available to rent free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. 
  • Advanced reservations are not accepted. Customers may call the park office to check availability and/or request staff to be expecting your use.
  • Wheelchairs are only available during regular operating hours and are to be used within the park and returned before the park closes for the day.
  • Customers may be required to leave a photo ID as a deposit during the use of the wheelchair.
  • The City of Folly Beach offers beach wheelchairs, the City of Isle of Palms has a wheelchair program, and other private entities in the area may offer rentals as well.


Wheelchairs & Other Power Driven Mobility Devices

The term "wheelchair" is defined by the ADA as "a manually-operated or power-driven device designed primarily for use by an individual with a mobility disability for the main purpose of indoor or of both indoor and outdoor locomotion."

Other Power Driven Mobility Device (OPDMD) is the term used by the ADA to mean "any mobility device powered by batteries, fuel, or other engines… that is used by individuals with mobility disabilities for the purpose of locomotion, including golf cars, electronic personal assistance mobility devices… such as the Segway® PT, or any mobility device designed to operate in areas without defined pedestrian routes, but that is not a wheelchair." When an OPDMD is being used by a person with a mobility disability, different rules apply under the ADA than when it is being used by a person without a disability. When an OPDMD is being used by a person with a mobility disability, different rules apply under the ADA than when it is being used by a person without a disability. Learn more about our OPDMD procedure.


Service Animals

Service animals are welcome in your Charleston County Parks. Per the American with Disabilities Act, "service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." 

"Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls." Learn more about our service animal procedures.


Program Requests for Modification

Charleston County Parks practices inclusion in all of our programs and events. Participants are able to request modifications to participate in a program or event due to disability during the registration process.


Website Accessibility

Our website has been designed with accessibility guidelines in mind. We work to comply with Section 508 as well as 2.0 A and AA referring to website accessibility standards


Questions?

For more information on accessibility in your parks, please contact the ADA Coordinator at 843-795-4386 or by email.