Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Art Institute of Chicago : Accessibility : 2011

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 at the Michigan Avenue entrance.


Millennium Park Lobby:
Drop offs are permitted. A traffic pullout is available from the eastbound lanes of Monroe Street. Ramp access is available at the Millennium Park entrance.

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 lowered TDD/TYY- equipped phone is available in the Michigan Avenue lobby. Auditoria are equipped with designated wheelchair areas. Upon entry, please pick up a Museum Access Information Guide, also available in large type and braille.

Hearing-Assist Devices:
Fullerton Hall is equipped with hearing-assist devices. Pick one up in the Michigan Avenue checkroom.

Gallery Audio Guide:
A gallery guide is available for a self-guided tour of the Art Institute with a hand-held MP3 player. They can be purchased with a ticket at an admissions counter or at the audio tour counter in either the Michigan Avenue or Millenium Park lobby for $7 ($5 for members), and are free for visitors who are blind or with low vision and their escorts.

Audio tours for some special exhibitions may be available.

Pathfinder:
Explore the Museum using Pathfinder, our interactive floor plan. Discover and locate artworks on display as well as gallery panoramas, exhibitions, daily events, and visitor amenities.

Programs:
We suggest that all guests attend our daily public lectures. For information on topics and dates, ask for the weekly calendar at any information desk in the museum, call (312) 443-3680, or consult our online calendar.

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 call (312) 443-3682, TDD/TTY (312) 443-3680, or send an email to access@artic.edu two weeks in advance to schedule a signed interpretation.

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

Exhibitions and Multimedia Programs:
The Touch Gallery is an exhibition of five portrait busts from the permanent collection that can be explored by sight and by touch. The exhibition is below the grand staircase and is accessible by using the elevator in the Michigan Avenue lobby. Labels are available in large-type print and Braille. The bronze and marble sculptures on display reflect cultures from around the world and provide an enriching experience for all audiences.

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

Cleopatra: Multimedia Guide to the Art of the Ancient World is an online resource that provides educational videos with subtitles in English and Spanish.

New! TacTiles Kits:
The Art Institute is pleased to unveil a phenomenal and 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 hand-held tiles designed to be touched. The compositions and textures of the works of art are reproduced on the tiles, making these works legible through fingertips to visitors. Each TacTile fits into a slot in a specially designed carrying case, which also includes a color photograph, a large-type print description, and a braille description of each work.

Works of art represented include: Pierre Auguste Renoir's Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881 (pictured above); Trompe-L'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain by Ardriaen van der Spelt and Frans van Mieris, 1658; Joan MirĂ³'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 of the TacTiles with advanced 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 of the Art Institute and Helen Maria Nugent, associate professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

# Questions? Please call (312) 443-3600 or TDD/TTY 312-443-3890, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. weekdays.

# For webite click headline or go to: http://www.artic.edu/aic/visitor_info/access.html

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