The Dalí Museum

As a disabled visitor, I was ignored, disrespected, and treated like I didn’t matter. Multiple messages went unanswered, leaving me humiliated and unheard.

No one should be treated this way. Management must take responsibility and ensure dignity and respect for all visitors.

We were so excited to bring our out-of-town friends to the Dali Museum. We had been there once before and knew they would enjoy it. One of our friends has a medical condition that requires a port, so water activities aren’t an option, and in Florida, that limits a lot of the fun. She also has to carry a very heavy backpack full of medical supplies, which is clearly marked as a medical bag.

When we checked in, the staff inspected the bag, tagged it, and allowed her to bring it in—no problem. But shortly after we entered, a security guard told her she couldn’t wear the backpack on her back and had to wear it in the front. This was not an option, as her port and medical tubing are located on her chest, and wearing the bag in front would have been both painful and unsafe. She tried to accommodate the request by carrying it by the handles at her side, but the bag is simply too heavy to carry that way for long.

Seeing her struggle, the guard kindly allowed her to wear it on her back again. Unfortunately, later on, another, much more aggressive guard approached us and told her—very bluntly and without empathy—that she was not allowed to wear it on her back. When I tried to explain that she had already been given permission, he rudely cut me off and said it didn’t matter.

At that point, I carried the bag for a while, and then one of our other friends took over. But what if she had been visiting alone? She would’ve had no choice but to leave.

Shame on the Dali Museum for treating someone with a visible medical condition this way. It felt discriminatory and deeply insensitive. Within just a few years, our friend has gone from being completely independent to having to adjust her life around her health. A museum should be a place of inclusion, not another reminder of what she can't do. She hates asking for help, and though, of course, we were happy to assist, the situation left her feeling like a burden and took the joy out of what should’ve been a special experience.

The Dali Museum needs to do better. Either make your policies clear before people pay and enter, or have a more compassionate and flexible system for evaluating medical needs. Better yet, have someone available who can assist disabled guests in a respectful, dignified way.