Calvert Marine Museum will open exclusively to guests with disabilities on Friday, Sept. 18, for the second of two 15th-anniversary celebrations of Night at the Museum for Friends with Disabilities this year — an event that arrives just weeks after Calvert County updated a policy addressing one of the most common access barriers programs like this one are designed to solve.
In late July, Calvert County’s Department of Community Resources updated its ADA Care Attendant Policy, which governs how the county accommodates residents with disabilities who need a personal care attendant to take part in county programs, services, and activities — including museum and recreation events like this one. The updated policy affirms that no one can be denied participation because they require an attendant, clarifies that the county itself does not provide, hire, or pay for attendant services, and — notably — sets new standards for when the county will waive admission or program fees tied to attendant access.
That last piece addresses a gap that has drawn national attention and even litigation elsewhere: museums and cultural venues have faced ADA lawsuits over whether they’re required to offer free admission to personal care attendants accompanying disabled visitors, with institutions like the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia contesting the point in court. Calvert County’s update effectively settles that question locally by building fee waivers into policy rather than leaving it to case-by-case dispute.
Night at the Museum for Friends with Disabilities is a direct expression of that same access mission, run in partnership with Calvert County Parks & Recreation’s Therapeutic Recreation Services (TRS) — a year-round program that also offers individualized supports, adaptive classes, and volunteer-assisted recreation activities for residents with disabilities well beyond this single evening. The Sept. 18 event, from 5 to 8 p.m., reserves the Solomons museum and its grounds for individuals with disabilities and their families, friends, and caregivers, following an earlier May 15 edition of the same 15th-anniversary celebration.
Anniversary activities include a welcome from the Starz Cheerleaders, a singalong with musician Jeremy Robinson, a horse experience with Still Waters Refuge and the Greenwell Foundation, toy boat building, a deck tour of the Dee of St. Mary’s, and remote-control boat operation. Guests can also meet the museum’s otter mascot, Bubbles, browse the Museum Store, and enter raffles for prizes and special passes. Thirty-minute cruises aboard the historic Wm. B. Tennison are offered at 5, 5:45, 6:30, and 7:15 p.m., with each trip capped at 39 passengers; those require advance reservations by calling 410-535-1600, ext. 8203, 8204, or 8205. General museum access registration is available at CalvertCounty.PerfectMind.com under Activity #26-170773.
Residents seeking accommodations for this or any Calvert County program can also contact the county’s ADA Coordinator, Kieko Nash, at ADACoordinator@calvertcountymd.gov or 410-535-1600, ext. 8803, at least 48 hours before a scheduled event.
