Accessibility

We are working to make the Museum more accessible. If you have visited the Museum recently, please let us know about your experience. The Museum’s Accessibility Plan and information on how to provide feedback can be found on this web page. →

NaviLens

To improve accessibility, the Museum uses NaviLens technology. Download the free NaviLens App. You can scan nearly 100 codes around our museum. This will guide you with audio navigation and exhibit details in 35+ languages. Navilens detects codes from up to 10 meters (32 feet) away without the need to focus. NaviLens ensures an inclusive experience for those with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments.

NaviLens logo and QR code to download app via Google Play or Apple App store.

Accessible Parking

  • Paid accessible parking is available for those with a permit.

Support person

  • Admission is free for a support person accompanying persons with disabilities.

Service dogs

  • Service dogs are welcome.

Magnifying Glasses

  • Ask at the front desk or in the Scotiabank Family History Centre to borrow a magnifying glass to assist with reading small type.

Washrooms

  • Accessible washrooms are located on both floors of the Museum.
  • A universal washroom is located on the second floor of the Museum.

Change Tables and Nursing

  • Diaper-changing tables are available in all Museum public washrooms.
  • Nursing is welcome at all locations in the Museum. Please speak with a Visitor Services representative if you would like a private room to nurse in.

Wheelchairs and mobility

  • All of our public spaces are fully accessible for visitors in wheelchairs.
  • All public spaces are fully accessible for visitors using mobility devices or strollers.
  • A wheelchair is available upon request, free of charge, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • Spaces are reserved for persons in wheelchairs in the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Theatre.

Floor Plans

For larger text version print on 11 x 17 page size.

The main entrance is located at 1055 Marginal Road; immediately inside the double doors is a slight slope leading into an open area. Once at the top of the slope, to your right is the Scotiabank Family History Centre and Library and Archives Canada, where there is a staircase inside for internal use, and an Emergency Exit beyond the Centre. Directly ahead is the Wheel of Conscience, a heavy steel sculpture with four interlocking gears that are very loud when in motion. Behind the Wheel is the Gift Shop and Cafeteria and to the left of the Wheel is the Ticket Counter and main staircase going to the First Floor.

To the left of the main staircase is an accessible washroom and to the right is an accessible elevator. Past the elevator, you will find another Emergency Exit, the Security Office with a defibrillator station and another staircase going to the First Floor. Past the Security Office and completing the Ground Floor is the Chiodo Foyer with Coat Room and The Ralph and Rose Chiodo Gallery, which houses Special Exhibitions. No food or drink is permitted in the Gallery.

Moving up to the First Floor, either by main staircase or elevator, brings you into Mirella and Lino Saputo Hall. To your immediate right is an accessible washroom, a defibrillator station and the Windsor Foundation Classroom. There are two Emergency Exits via staircase on either side of the Classroom and a Coat Room on opposite side of the hall. The entrance to Rudolph P. Bratty Hall, which contains the Permanent Exhibition The Pier 21 Story, is the meeting point for Guided Tours. Once inside Bratty Hall, there is a harbour-view area, the Anne Risley Gateway, to the right and straight ahead is the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Theatre. Emergency Exits via staircase can be found at both ends of Bratty Hall. No food or drink permitted in this area.

Making our way back through Mirella and Lino Saputo Hall and on the opposite side, there is the Canadian Immigration Hall, which houses The Canadian Immigration Story Exhibition and the BMO Oral History Gallery; no food or drink permitted. Outside of the hall, following along the harbour-side windows, is the Chrysler Canada Pavilion with an accessible washroom and defibrillator station, and lastly the Kenneth C. Rowe Hall, which has two Emergency Exits via staircase.

Exhibitions

  • Exhibitions include both video and audio content. Videos are subtitled.

Seating

  • Seating and rest areas are available throughout the Museum.

Private tours and Appointments

  • Visitors with special needs can book private Museum tours at no additional cost.
  • Visitors with special needs can book private appointments with the Scotiabank Family History Centre.

Public Programs

Other Accommodations

  • A social narrative is a resource that people can use to better understand their visit to the Museum before arriving. It uses pictures and short sentences to describe a typical visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. If you would like to use this resource at the Museum, we have laminated copies you can borrow. You can ask for this, and our sensory backpacks, at our Ticket Counter.
  • Social narrative

Contact

Rick Hanson Foundation Accessibility Certification