Accessibility

 
Museum Accessibility

dhm logo

At the Detroit Historical Society, we strive to make our museums a place for every visitor to learn and engage. Below is a list of the various ways in which we are creating a space that welcomes our entire community.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 313.833.1801 or email education@detroithistorical.org to further inquire about our accommodations or other ways we can make your visit more enjoyable. While you are at the museum, please ask our front desk if you require more information or assistance.

Physical Accessibility
  • Adult-sized wheelchairs are available for use by individuals with limited mobility. Please ask a Visitor Experience Associate at the front desk. There is no cost, but users must leave an ID with museum staff.
  • Our front doors use automatic-open buttons.
  • All floors are accessible via elevator.
  • All bathrooms and water fountains are wheelchair accessible.
  • There is accessible parking in the Detroit Historical Museum parking lot, just south of the museums entrance.
  • Visitors can be dropped off in front of the Detroit Historical Museum on Kirby Street.
Visual Accessibility

The museum offers many touchable experiences, both digital and physical, throughout our galleries. Interested in a more customized experience? Call ahead at 313.833.1801 and schedule a docent-led tour (additional fees apply).

Hearing Assistance

Currently, the Detroit Historical Museum does not have hearing assistance devices available to visitors at our museum locations. Closed captioning is available on most digital content in the permanent galleries.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Special Sensory Needs

The Detroit Historical Museum has partnered with KultureCity to improve our ability to assist and accommodate guests with sensory needs.

Our objective is to provide an inclusive and seamless experience for all guests at every program and event. This means supplying our museum with continuous training and by offering the following resources and accommodations our guests with special sensory needs.

  • Sensory Bags: Sensory bags containing special KCVIP badges, fidget tools, noise canceling headphones and other resources are available for checkout (at no cost, but you must leave an ID) at our front desk located at the Kirby Entrance of the Detroit Historical Museum.
  • Weighted Lap Pads: Weighted lap pads are also available upon request (at no cost, but you must leave an ID) at our front desk located at the Kirby Entrance of the Detroit Historical Museum.
  • Social Story and KultureCity All-Inclusive App: Download the KultureCity All-Inclusive App and discover our social story to help you plan your visit to the Detroit Historical Museum:
Nursing Parents/Caregivers with Infants

The Detroit Historical Museum welcomes nursing and bottle-feeding families. Parents are welcome to nurse or bottle-feed babies anywhere in the public areas of the museum. If you would like a private spot to nurse or feed, please let our front desk staff know and we will accommodate your request.

For parents feeding purees or solid food to older babies, we ask that you use the Grand Truck Depot on the lower level or benches outside the museum store. Please note, food is not permitted in the galleries.

Baby changing tables are available in all multiple-toilet restrooms.

The entire museum is stroller accessible.

Online Accessibility

The Detroit Historical Society (DHS) is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.

The Detroit Historical Society (DHS) takes the following measures to ensure that detroithistorical.org and detroit1967.org are accessible:

  • Include accessibility throughout our internal policies.
  • Integrate accessibility into our procurement practices.
  • Provide annual accessibility training for our staff.
  • Assign clear accessibility targets and responsibilities.
  • Employ formal accessibility quality assurance methods.
Conformance status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. The Detroit Historical Society is partially conformant with WCAG 2.0 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

Technical specifications

Accessibility of the Detroit Historical Society (DHS) relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. If you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on detroithistorical.org, please contact us at 313.833.1805.