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Accessibility

The Art Institute of Chicago welcomes all visitors and affirms its commitment to making its programs and services accessible to everyone. The museum has a range of resources and programs designed specifically for adults and children with disabilities.

Access to the Museum

Michigan Avenue Entrance

Ramp access is available, but drop-offs are not permitted.

Modern Wing Entrance

Ramp access is available, and drop-offs are permitted. A traffic pullout is available from the eastbound lanes of Monroe Street. 

Questions? Please call (312) 443-3600 or TDD/TTY 312-443-3680, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. weekdays.

Parking

Accessible parking is located in the following garages near the Art Institute:

  • Millennium Park garage (enter at Columbus Drive and Monroe Street), with 8' clearance in some sections and an elevator at the exit
  • East Monroe Street garage (enter at Columbus Drive and Monroe Street), with 6' 8" clearance and exit ramps at Monroe Street
  • Grant Park North garage (enter at Michigan Avenue between Madison and Randolph), with 8' 3 " clearance for vans and an elevator at the exit

See additional parking information.

Inside the Museum

Elevators are located throughout the museum with access to all floors. A limited number of wheelchairs and strollers are available for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Pay telephones have volume control and are positioned at an accessible height. A TDD/TYY–equipped phone is available in the Michigan Avenue lobby. Auditoriums are equipped with designated wheelchair areas.

Hearing-Assist Devices

Fullerton Hall is equipped with hearing-assist devices,  which are available at the Michigan Avenue checkroom.

Audio Guide

The museum's audio guide offers a self-guided tour of the galleries and some special exhibitions using a handheld MP3 player. Audio guides can be purchased at the admission counter when buying a ticket or at the audio guide counter in the Michigan Avenue or Modern Wing lobbies for $7 ($5 for members). The audio guide is free for visitors who are blind or with low vision and their escorts.

Audio tours and printed transcripts for some special exhibitions may be available. Please inquire at the audio guide desk.

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Signed Interpretations 

As part of its commitment to accessibility for all audiences, the museum now offers American Sign Language interpretation for any of its scheduled gallery talks. Please TDD/TTY (312) 443-3680 or send an e-mail to access@artic.edu two weeks in advance to schedule a signed interpretation.

Tours with Sighted Guides

Visitors who are blind or have low vision may arrange for free guided museum tours by calling the Department of Museum Education at (312) 857-7641 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Please arrange for tour one to two weeks in advance.

Touch Gallery

Located in the Ryan Education Center, the Elizabeth Morse Touch Gallery is specifically designed for visually impaired visitors to the museum but available to all.

Children's Multimedia Program

Located in the Ryan Education Center, Curious Corner is a wheelchair–accessible station where families can learn about art through interactive stories and games.

TacTiles Kits

The Art Institute is pleased to offer a fresh approach to experiencing art for visitors who have low vision: TacTiles. These kits consist of a series of masterpieces from the Art Institute's collection represented on handheld tiles designed to be touched. The tiles reproduce the compositions and textures of the artworks, making them legible through the fingertips. Each TacTile fits into a slot in a specially designed carrying case, which includes a color photograph, a large-type print description, and a braille description of each work.

Artworks represented include: Pierre Auguste Renoir's Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881; Ardriaen van der Spelt and Frans van Mieris's Trompe-L'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain, 1658; Joan Miró's Personages with Star, 1933; a Japanese screen by Tosa Mitsuoki, Flowering Cherry with Poem Slips, c. 1675; and the marvelous Aztec Coronation Stone of Motecuhzoma II, 1503.

The TacTiles are available free of charge in the Crown Family Educator Resource Center. Visitors may request a guided tour with the TacTiles with advance notice. For more information, call (312) 857-7641.

TacTiles are made possible thanks to a generous grant from Buddy Mayer and the Rothschild Foundation.

TacTiles were developed by the Department of Museum Education and Helen Maria Nugent, associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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