Museum Accessibility

Building Accessibility

• Accessible bathrooms, sponsored by Aflac, are located on each floor. Family restrooms are also available on the 1st floor and the 4th floor.
• Elevators are available for guests to access all four floors of the museum.
• Wheelchairs are available by request on a first come first served basis. Guests may inquire at the Admissions Desk.
• A Wellness Room, sponsored by Aflac, is located on the 1st floor. It features an adult-sized medical table and additional medical supplies including basic first aid supplies, menstrual products, a light therapy lamp, ice packs, heating packs, adult diapers, and more.

Additional Resources

• The museum is an Aira Access Partner offering FREE access for guests who are blind or have low vision via a downloadable app. Scroll down or click here for more information about Aira.
• Sensory Bags and other accessibility materials are available at the Admissions Desk, Group Visits, 4D theater, Planetarium, and the Cotton Mill Exchange. Some materials include noise canceling headphones, fidgets, magnifiers, and communication cards.
• American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are available during select museum public programs and events. Please see individual program and event pages for more details.

4D Theater

• Wheelchair seating is available in the theater.
• Closed captioning, descriptive audio and assistive listening devices are available by request.
• Sensory bags and noise canceling headphones available by request.
• 4D theater shows are 3D movies with added sensory experiences, making them 4D. These may include splashes of water, bubbles, “snow,” wind, ankle ticklers, vibrating seats, smells, and abrupt lighting changes. If unsure about the environment, we recommend sitting at the top so you can quickly exit if needed. 

Planetarium

• Wheelchair seating is available in the planetarium.
• Assistive listening devices available by request.
• Select planetarium shows have open captioning available by request, just look for the ‘caption’ icon under the show listings.
• Sensory bags and noise canceling headphones available by request.
• The planetarium is a two-level theater with a tilted dome-shaped projection screen overhead, which is often used to simulate the night sky or being out in space.  Since most shows are astronomy-related, the theater is often very dark.  If unsure about the environment, we recommend sitting either at the very bottom of the theater or near the top, where you’ll be nearest the exits.