General Information

The Accessibility Program supports the Smithsonian in making all visitors feel welcome by providing consistent, effortless access to the Institution’s programs, collections and facilities.

Responsibilities include:

• Advising on and implementing policy, practices, and procedures related to access for people with disabilities;
• Reviewing facility and exhibition designs;
• Providing technical assistance;
• Conducting outreach to the disability community and other cultural arts organizations;
• Providing staff education on disability topics; and
• Working with Smithsonian museums and offices to provide direct visitor services, including sign language interpretation, real time captioning, and alternate formats of publications.

Programs include:

• All Access Camp
  A two-week, multi-media summer camp for twenty Washington, D.C.-area High School students with cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
• Access to Opportunities
  Smithsonian Internship for People with Disabilities
• Art Signs: Gallery Talks in American Sign Language
• Smithsonian Folklife Festival
• Morning at the Museum
  A project of the Smithsonian Institution's Accessibility Program and the Smithsonian Museums. Guided by a Community Advisory Committee comprised of museum educators, exhibit designers, professionals who work with children on the Autism Spectrum, parents, and self-advocates, the Smithsonian has developed a series of pre-visit materials designed to help children on the spectrum and their families enjoy a visit to the Smithsonian Museums.
• Access American Stories Mobile App
  Access American Stories is a bilingual (Spanish/English) “crowdsourced” audio experience and companion to the American Stories exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Designed to increase accessibility for visitors with low vision, the app offers everyone new ways of seeing 100 of America’s most evocative historical objects through the eyes of both visitors and museum staff.
• Introductory Training: Children on the Autism Spectrum and Museums
  This training covers the basics of autism spectrum disorders and how museums can better engage families with children on the Autism spectrum.

For additional information on access services, please contact the Accessibility Program at (202) 633-2921 (voice) or email the Accessibility Program.