US Justice Department sues SeaWorld Orlando over rollator walker ban

Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel on Mar 26, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued SeaWorld Orlando’s parent company, alleging that the theme parks' ban on “rollator walkers” discriminates against guests with disabilities, including children and veterans.

The department’s civil rights division filed the lawsuit in Orlando federal court against United Parks & Resorts Inc., which owns or licenses theme parks across the United States, including SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

The department launched an investigation into the parks in November, questioning why “rollators,” a type of walker with wheels on its legs, a seat and a handbrake, were banned.

The parks said they imposed the ban because of safety concerns, noting that other mobility aids, such as wheelchairs and electric scooters, were still allowed. But the change sparked outrage among some parkgoers, who said the other devices weren’t medically appropriate for them and were costly to rent at SeaWorld and the other parks.

Some of those angry about the changes alerted the federal agency, which is still urging anyone impacted by the rollator ban to file written complaints.

In the lawsuit, federal authorities allege the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act — which prohibits discrimination based on disability by public accommodations, including theme parks — when the three Florida parks prohibited rollators.

The lawsuit wants a judge to declare the company in violation of federal law, force the parks to change their rules, demand they pay those hurt by the policy and levy a fine of more than $118,000.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

“The ADA requires equal access for people with disabilities, and theme parks such as SeaWorld are no exception,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the department’s civil rights division, in a statement. “Under my leadership, the Division is committed to defending the rights of all Americans with disabilities, as the law requires.”

The lawsuit sites cases of children, veterans and others with disabilities who could not go to the parks because of the rollator ban and alleges the company imposed “impermissible” surcharges on guests with disabilities in the form of rental fees.

The day the investigation began, SeaWorld’s website said rental prices started at $40 for wheelchairs and $110 for mobility scooters.

That same day, SeaWorld Orlando’s webpage said the ban on rollator walkers was for the safety of park guests and employees, while the pages for Aquatica Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay said the ban was due to different pathway configurations and terrain in those theme parks.

The day after the investigation was announced, a spokesperson for SeaWorld and Aquatica said the parks had updated their policy to allow guests with rollators to use one of their wheelchairs or rollators without seats at no extra cost.

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