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1.
Where can I park when I visit the museums on the Mall? |
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There is limited free parking on the National
Mall. Mall parking is under the jurisdiction of the National Park
Service. Available spaces fill quickly, especially during the
summer and over holidays. There are designated accessible spaces
in front of the major museums; however, these are standard curb
spaces on the left side of one-way streets.
There are accessible passenger loading zones in the following
locations: National Museum of American History: Mall and
Constitution Avenue entrances
National Museum of Natural History: Mall entrance
National Air and Space Museum: Mall entrance
S. Dillon Ripley Center: Mall entrance
Freer Gallery of Art: Independence Avenue entrance
There are parking garages close to various museums in the Mall
area. Those that have accessible parking spaces include:
Colonial Parking in Capital Gallery (6th and Maryland
Avenue, S.W.);
Colonial Parking in the Holiday Inn (6th and C Streets,
S.W.);
and the Ronald Reagan Building (14th and Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W.) |
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Absolutely, yes. |
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3.
How do I request accommodation services for Smithsonian
programs? |
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If you would like to have a sign language, oral,
or cued speech interpreter or Realtime captioning for an event,
you should call at least two weeks in advance of the program
you plan to attend. Call the organization sponsoring the program
and tell the staff there what services you need. Be specific.
For example, if you want an ASL interpreter rather than a PSE
or Signed English interpreter, be sure to tell the staff that
information. We do not have interpreters on our staff. We must
hire them from agencies so need advance notice of requests.
If you want other accommodations, such as audio description,
reader services, alternative formats of publications, assistive
listening systems, or any other services, call the sponsoring
organization and place your request at leasttwo weeks before
the event.
If you do not know which organization is sponsoring the program,
contact the Accessibility Program at 202/786-2942 (voice); 202/786-2414
(TTY); 202/786-2210 (fax); zeibarthb@si.edu.
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No. The Smithsonian will provide interpreters only
for scheduled Smithsonian tours or programs. Almost all of the exhibition
videos are captioned or have scripts right near them; audio tours
have scripts available. The exhibitions are accessible to people
who are deaf or hard of hearing. |
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Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Freer Gallery
| 202/786-2374
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Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
| 202/663-8043
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National Air and Space Museum/Tours
| 202/357-1505
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National Museum of African Art
| 202/357-4814
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National Museum of American Art/Renwick Gallery
| 202/357-4522
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National Museum of American History
| 202/357-1563
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National Museum of Natural History
| 202/633-9287
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Friends of the National Zoo
| 202/673-7800
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Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs
| 202/287-3494
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Office of Human Resources
| 202/287-3498
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Smithsonian Accessibility Program
| 202/786-2414
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Smithsonian Catalogue
| 703-605-5093
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Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
| 202/357-1696
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Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service
| 202/633-9314
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The Smithsonian Associates (Resident and National)
| 202/633-9467
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Visitor Information
| 202/357-1729
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Switchboard Locator Information:
| 202-633-9342 | |
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Smithsonian museums and the Zoo have wheelchairs
that can be borrowed, free of charge, for use within each facility.
The wheelchairs, which are all manually operated, cannot be
taken outside of the museum in which it is borrowed.
The wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
To borrow a wheelchair, go to the museum's or the Zoo's information
center or desk and request a loaner. They may help you directly
or send you to the nearby Security Desk. You will be asked to
leave identification until you return the wheelchair.
If you want to rent a wheelchair for all-day use between museums,
we have a list of vendors in the area who can assist you. This
list has been compiled from the Yellow Pages of the Washington
phone book for your convenience. The list may not include all
businesses that rent wheelchairs or reflect the current status
of a business. Businesses listed are not endorsed or recommended
by the Smithsonian Institution.
Division, EKA Health and Mobility Systems, Inc.
9151 Hampton Overlook, Capitol Heights, MD
301-499-1000
scooters, manual and power wheelchairs
Area Access Inc.
8117 Ransell Road, Falls Church, VA
703-573-2111
scooters
Mobility Solutions Inc.
Silver Spring, MD
301-589-3895
scooters
Spectrum Medical Inc.
8820 Brookville Road, Silver Spring, MD
301-587-2992
manual wheelchairs
All the businesses listed will deliver to and pick up from your
hotel or residence. |
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7.
How do I get publications in alternative formats? |
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The Accessibility Program's Voices
to Access 2000 project audio tapes Smithsonian publications
for use by people who cannot use standard print due to disability.
To get a list of available publications or to request a specific
Smithsonian publication for recording, call 202/786-2942 (voice)
or 202/786-2414 (TTY).
Other publications, including exhibit scripts, are available
in braille, in large print, and on disk. Call the organization
responsible for the publication to find out what formats are available.
If you don't know the name of the organization, call the Accessibility
Program at the numbers listed above. |
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Yes. Three museums now have unisex or companion care
restrooms. There is one in the National Air and Space Museum (near
the cafeteria entrance) and one in the National Museum of Natural
History (in the new East Court, off of the Rotunda). There are two
in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (near the standard
restrooms). Several more are planned for construction in various
museums. |
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The Smithsonian may be able to accommodate with this
service. Call the Accessibility Program for information. |
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