Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
menu
Photo of Art Beyond Sight tour participant looking at a colorful, abstract painting at the Seattle Art Museum with her guide dog.

Accessibility

If you require accommodations, please contact us before your visit, as we may require advance notice to provide certain accommodations.

The Seattle Art Museum strives to provide an enriching experience for all visitors. The information below provides a general overview of accessibility options available at our locations.

More detailed information about accessibility at each location is available at the links below:

While the information here provides a general overview of accessibility at SAM, we encourage you to contact us for specific questions or needs. Please email us or call 206.654.3210

Always Available

Accessible restrooms and stalls are available at all SAM locations.

Aides or caretakers receive free admission.

Electronically assisted doors are available at the public entrances at all SAM locations.

Service animals are welcome at all SAM locations.

Art Beyond Sight Tours

The Art Beyond Sight program provides monthly tours of the museum’s collection to visitors with low or no vision.

Learn More​​​​

Seattle Art Museum

DROP-OFF AREA AND PARKING

Vehicle drop-off areas are located adjacent to the museum’s main entrance. Both are three-minute load/unload zones.

  1. The south side of Union Street

  2. The east side of First Avenue near Union Street, available only between 9 AM – 3 PM

Designated accessible parking for vehicles bearing a valid disability parking permit is available on a first-come, first served basis in the Russell Investments Center Garage. The entrance to the parking garage is on Union Street (between First and Second Avenues), adjacent to the SAM building. The parking garage is ADA-accessible; its elevator operates between the garage levels and the street level, which is around the corner from the museum’s main entrance. Garage height limit is 6'7". A 10 minute, no-charge grace period is available for drop-off or pick-up in the parking garage. After 10 minutes, regular rates apply.

COURTESY WHEELCHAIRS

The Seattle Art Museum's facilities are wheelchair accessible. Courtesy wheelchairs are available upon request at Coat Check. A limited number of 18”- and 22”-wide wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

MAGNIFIERS

Disposable magnifiers for use in the museum galleries are available upon request at the Ticketing Desk. Visitors may keep disposable magnifiers.

CLOSED CAPTIONING & TRANSCRIPTS

Videos in the permanent collection galleries have closed captioning on. If a video does not have closed captioning, printed transcripts are available. Please ask a SAM representative for assistance. If an audio tour accompanies a special exhibition, printed transcripts of the audio tour are available from the Ticketing Desk.

LARGE PRINT

Download our Low Vision Map and Guide at visitsam.org/largeprintmap

Large print (18 point) special exhibition labels are available at the Ticketing Desk.

AUDIO GUIDES WITH VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS

Verbal descriptions of select objects in the museum’s permanent collection are available by activating a cell phone tour. Information on how to activate the tour is available on the object’s museum label.

For certain special exhibitions, an audio guide with extended verbal descriptions may be available. Please visit the Ticketing Desk for more information.

ART BEYOND SIGHT TOURS

At this time SAM is not offering Art Beyond Sight tours. We plan to again offer these tours in the future.

If you are interested in a private ABS tour, please email us or call 206.654.3210.​​​​​​​​ While we cannot guarantee availability of these tours, smaller private tours may be accommodated, depending on staff capacity and public health guidelines.

TTY TELEPHONE

A TTY (Text Telephone) is available upon request. Please ask an Admissions representative for assistance. The TTY is sanitized after each use.

SIGN LANGUAGE

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is available upon request with two weeks' notice, subject to availability of ASL interpreters (please note that SAM is not hosting any public tours or lectures at this time). Please email or call 206.654.3123 (voice) for more information.

NURSING & BOTTLE FEEDING

Visitors are welcome to breastfeed infants in all areas of the museum, on all floors, including the galleries.

Visitors are welcome to bottle feed infants in all public areas of the museum on levels 1 and 2 (please note that level 1 is currently closed to the public, except the SAM shop). Bottle feeding is not permitted on gallery levels.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Accessible parking spots are clearly marked in the parking lot in front of the Seattle Asian Art Museum. A drop off area is also available in front of the museum.

WHEELCHAIR LOAN

The Seattle Asian Art Museum's facilities are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available through the Ticketing Desk. Identification must be left at security for wheelchair loan. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the number of wheelchairs is limited.

LARGE PRINT

Large print gallery text for special exhibitions are available at the Ticketing Desk.

ART BEYOND SIGHT TOURS

At this time SAM is not offering Art Beyond Sight tours. We plan to again offer these tours in the future.

If you are interested in a private ABS tour, please email us or call 206.654.3210​​​​​​​​. While we cannot guarantee availability of these tours, smaller private tours may be accommodated, depending on staff capacity and public health guidelines.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Drop-off Zone

A three-minute passenger load zone is located on southbound Western Avenue before the Broad Street intersection.

Wheelchair-Accessible Parking & Pavilion Access

As always, visitors are welcome to park in a metered parking space if any are available in the area. There are also three disabled parking spots in the Olympic Sculpture Park garage located on Broad Street. Please note, parking is limited in this garage and there is a parking fee. An elevator is located in the parking garage for easy entrance to the Pavilion and the park.

Wheelchair Loan

Wheelchairs—including an all-terrain wheelchair—are available at the front desk inside the PACCAR Pavilion. Identification must be left at the front desk for the wheelchair loan. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and the number of wheelchairs is limited.

Park Access

The Olympic Sculpture Park has ADA accessible ramps, and the main Z path through the park is graded to provide universal access.

SIgn Language for Public Tours

Sign language is available for all public tours upon request with two weeks'​ notice. Please email us or call     206.654.3123 (voice) for more information.

Art Beyond Sight Tours

At this time SAM is not offering Art Beyond Sight tours. We plan to again offer these tours in the future.

If you are interested in a private ABS tour, please email us or call 206.654.3210.​​​​​​​​While we cannot guarantee availability of these tours, smaller private tours may be accommodated, depending on staff capacity and public health guidelines.

Photo: Natali Wiseman.


Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM