Cognitive Focused Services
The Washington Nationals offer a variety of services to help guests with cognitive disabilities – including those with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or other dementias.
Services include:
Helpful Guides for your Park Experience
For more information, please contact our experience team at 202.675.NATS (6287) (Option 8) or email [email protected].
PREPARE FOR YOUR VISIT
Knowing what to expect plays an important part in making your experience successful.
Some suggested tips for you and your guest with a cognitive disability include:
Advanced Ticket Purchase
To avoid waiting in line at the box office, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance. Tickets, including ADA seating, can be purchased online. We want to make sure you find seats and parking to accommodate your group prior to your game. For assistance, please contact our service team at 202.675.NATS (6287) (Option 8) or [email protected]
Visualize Your Trip
A social story helps provide a timeline for your visit and help the guest with a cognitive disability understand what to expect such as crowds, sights, sounds and smells.
It can be helpful to read it for a few weeks or months before attending Nationals Park. This will give the guest time to process the information and feel familiar with baseball stadium environment.
The Washington Nationals have partnered with KultureCity to help make Nationals Park sensory-inclusive for all guests. For an example of a timeline, check out this social story created by Kulture City for a look inside the Nationals Park experience.
Watch Videos
Help your guest with a cognitive disability prepare for their experience by watching videos about Nationals Park’s atmosphere from this site or others. Comprehensive maps are available for each level of Nationals Park here. Review these maps and try to lay out a plan for your day at the park.
Practice Waiting in Line
There may be a possibility of waiting in line at stadium gates and concessions stands. To prepare, practice waiting with the guest with a cognitive disability at home or in lines at places they might already frequent.
Choose A Meeting Location
Pick a place inside Nationals Park to meet in case your party becomes separated (Main Guest Services in Centerfield Plaza is recommended). Be sure the guest with a cognitive disability is aware of the location and show it to them as soon as you enter the park.
Should they get lost, emphasize the importance of finding a Guest Experience representative who will assist in helping reunite you. Main Guest Services in Centerfield Plaza is a designated location where lost guests can be escorted.
Nationals Park provides a wristband that will note the seat location and group name (if applicable) with information we can use to reunite should the guest with a cognitive disability become separated from their party. For the guests’ safety and protection, the wristband does not include their name or their guardian’s name. Guests may pick this wristband up at any Guest Services locations (Center Field Plaza, Section 131, and Section 320)
We recommend taking a photo of the guest with a cognitive disability on your mobile device especially if they tend to wander off.
WHAT TO BRING
We want you and your group to have a memorable time at Nationals Park while staying comfortable in what could be a new setting for some guests. We recommend bringing items that the guest with a cognitive disability is familiar with that gives them comfort in a sensory stimulating environment.
Some suggestions include:
- Reinforcers
- Sensory toy or calming item that works for them
- Favorite device/activity
Some individuals that are sensitive to sound may want to bring earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.
In partnership with KultureCity, The Nationals are proud to offer sensory kits available for guests with sensory needs during Nationals home games – these kits include:
- Noise Reducing Headphones
- Fidget tools
- Lanyard
A valid government-issued ID will be held until the device is returned.
Bracelet Or Name Tag
Guests may obtain identification wristbands for their guest with a cognitive disability. These wristbands indicate their seat location in the event they become separated from the rest of their party. Please visit any Guest Services location (Center Field Plaza, Section 131, and Section 320) to speak to a Nationals Guest Experience Representative and obtain a wristband.
Nationals Park provides a wristband that will note the seat location with information we can use to reunite the guest/caregiver should the individual with a cognitive disability become separated from their party. For the guests’ safety and protection, the wristband does not include the guest’s or caregiver’s name. Guests may pick this wristband up at any Guest Services locations.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
We understand challenges may be presented when attending a venue like Nationals Park with someone who has a cognitive disability. Here is an overview of what you and your group are likely to experience to better prepare you for a day at Nationals Park.
Screening
Upon arrival at the gate, you’ll pass through metal detectors and a bag check. If you are bringing any items to aid in your guest’s comfort while at the park, we recommend utilizing our family/ADA lanes for ease of entry. Your bags will still need to be screened by our security team. Please inform our security staff of any special needs especially if the person has a sensory or calming item that needs to be carried at all times.
Ticket Scan
Guests will scan their mobile device to enter through the turnstiles. If all tickets are on one individual’s phone, we ask that person to stand to the side and scan the rest of their party into the park and then proceed themselves through the turnstiles.
Guest Services
If you have any questions while at Nationals Park, please stop by Main Guest Services in Centerfield Plaza for assistance. Guest experience representatives are also available throughout the park to assist our guests. If you require an immediate response, please text NATS along with your issue and location to 202-980-4357, or tweet @natsparkservice.
Lost Guests
Guest experience representatives are identifiable by their name tags or navy polos. Our staff members are here to help you and your group enjoy your visit to Nationals Park. They are available to answer any questions or offer directions to help you get around the park.
Should someone in your party become lost or separated have them locate a Guest Experience representative for assistance. As mentioned earlier, wristbands with contact information with a phone number as well as full body photos of your group are highly recommended for guests with a cognitive disability. This information will allow our team member to reunite your group quickly and easily.
Stroller/Wheelchairs
Strollers are permitted in all concourse areas at Nationals Park. Strollers that are unable to fold and fit under a Nationals Park seat must be checked either at a Guest Services location, Center Field Plaza, or behind Sections 131 or 320. If a guest has a stroller that, once folded, will fit under a Nationals Park seat, they will be permitted to take it to their seat. The Nationals are not responsible for the stroller if it has not been checked. For guests with disabilities – including those with a cognitive disability – who need to remain in a stroller or wheelchair while at the park, we recommend purchasing ADA seating.
Break Areas
Should a guest become over-stimulated or need a quiet space, our sensory room is available where they can take a break. In partnership with Kulture City, the Nationals offer a Quiet Zone Sensory Room located behind Section 140. The space features sensory activities, as well as soothing lighting and soft flooring. It is designed to help enhance the ballpark experience for guests with sensory needs.
Family Restrooms
All restrooms in Nationals Park are fully accessible for guests with disabilities. Family Restrooms may be found on the concourses behind Sections 104, 117, 139 and 235. We request that family restrooms be reserved for guests with young children or those with special needs.
If an adult in your group needs to be changed and is too big for a changing table, our first aid locations have tables available for you to use.
Please note: many of our restrooms use automatic toilet flushing equipment which may be loud.
Accessibility Guide
For a full list of accommodations, check out our accessibility guide.
Dietary Information
A list of dietary information may be found in our concessions guide. If you have additional dietary questions or concerns while at the ballpark, please ask for a concession supervisor at any concession stand or at Guest Services in Centerfield Plaza.
All guests are permitted to bring single-serving food items into Nationals Park provided that they are contained in an approved bag (Nationals Park Bag Policy). Guests needing to bring additional nutritional or food items into the stadium for medical reasons can request an exception to the single-serving food policy. In this case, guests should enter the stadium via designated ADA/Family security lanes at Center Field or Home Plate gates.
First Aid
Our first aid locations are staffed with professional paramedics. First Aid rooms are located behind Section 107, 131, and 312. Note that the First Aid Stations also accommodate adults that need to be changed.
Service Animals
We welcome trained service animals recognized by federal law at Nationals Park. "Service Animals" are defined as dogs (or in some cases, miniature horses) that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals must be leashed and under the control of their handler at all times. All other animals are prohibited.
Service Animal Relief Area
A relief area is available outside of the Home Plate Gate for service animals. Before leaving the gate, please speak with the Security Supervisor so they can inform staff of your re-entry into the park. You will need to exit and re-enter through the Home Plate Gate after speaking with staff. We ask that you please pick up after your service animal and dispose of the waste properly.
ANNUAL EVENTS
You may be visiting Nationals Park during one of our special events.
On Military Appreciation Days, there is a high chance of a flyover over by various aircrafts corresponding with the branch being celebrated which may be loud.
Friday Night Fireworks occur after the game has completed. Fireworks launch from the right field side off the roof of our garage or from a barge in the Anacostia River.
Star Wars Weekend will include individuals dressed as the franchise characters walking around the park as well as props, balloons, and themed music.
Below is a list of dates to be aware of as you plan your trip:
- April 1 – Opening Day
- April 5 – Branch Appreciation Day: National Guard
- April 19 – Friday Night Fireworks
- April 24 – Patriotic Series: Military Appreciation Day
- May 3 - Friday Night Fireworks, Star Wars Weekend
- May 4 – Star Wars Weekend
- May 5 – Star Wars Weekend
- May 24 - Branch Appreciation: US Navy
- May 26 – Patriotic Series: Memorial Day
- June 18 – Branch Day: US Army
- July 3 – Freedom Fireworks
- July 4 – Patriotic Series: Independence Day
- July 6 – Branch Day: Marine Corps
- July 19 – Branch Day: Space Force
- August 3 – Harry Potter Day
- August 5 – Branch Day: US Coast Guard
- September 13 – Friday Night Fireworks
- September 25 – Branch Day: US Air Force
Please note: Nationals Park events may include flashing lights and strobe effects. Please be advised if you are sensitive to such visual stimuli.