Philly public swimming pools, like much of Philadelphia’s infrastructure, have multiple opportunities for improving every day accessibility.
Because Philadelphia is an old city with some of the oldest public bathing facilities in the country, physical accessibility did not play as large a role in public planning as it necessarily does in modern times. Many playgrounds were built at the turn of the 20th Century and still stand today with stairs and group showers and gendered restrooms of bygone days. Many of these buildings have since been repurposed and many new, improved playgrounds have been built while others still serve their original purpose and have been (or can be) modified.
All of this is to explain why so many buildings, incuding recreational centers are inaccessible to disabled people, older folks or even young adults carrying kids around. As new rebuilds take place, facilities are improved upon or recreated. It is up to us to assure that accessibility plays a major role in all designs and redeisgns.
The major item is the issue of removing entry stairways or installing ramps or alternative public entrances to spaces that are built with stairs. This is slowly being addressed in most pools and recreation centers and there has been much progress in that regard. However, there are still a few Philly public pools have stairs to the main entrances at least. You will definitely want to call the following pools before travel if you cannot navigate steps to get onto the pool deck.
Current pools that seem to require stairs to access to the pool deck are:
Belfield Pool 2109 W Chew Ave., 19138 (possible accessible etrance thru field/ Rec center)
Gathers Pool 2501W Diamond St., 19121 (possibly accessible rec center entrance)
Kendrick Pool 5822-24 Ridge Ave., 19128
Max Myers Pool 1601 Hellerman St., 19149 (stair-free entrance via ballfield)
Piccoli Pool 1501 E. Bristol St., 19124 (possibly a “back gate” to pool thru playground)
Pickett School Indoor Pool 5700 Wayne Ave, 19144 CLOSED 2024 SEASON (possible access thru school building)