Accessibility at the Museum

The Tenement Museum welcomes all visitors. We recognize the diverse needs of our audience and offer accessible programs and services to enable all visitors to explore the stories we interpret at the Tenement Museum. For questions about Museum accessibility and how we can accommodate your specific needs, contact our Call Center at (877) 975-3786 or e-mail us at [email protected].

Membership

The Tenement Museum offers a special $65 membership for visitors with disabilities.

For a discounted membership, please call our Membership Office at (646) 518-3007.

Free entry to care partners

Regardless of Museum membership status, all visitors with disabilities can obtain free entry for their care partners.

Please call 877-975-3786 or email [email protected] to request free entry for a care partner.

Service Animal Policy

Service dogs are welcome on all Museum tours. However, pets and emotional support animals are not allowed inside our tenement buildings, but can be brought on outdoor neighborhood walking tours.

Visiting the Museum

Tours and guided experiences are the only ways to access our historic buildings. These often include small spaces. If you have difficulties in small spaces, please call 877-975-3786 or e-mail [email protected] for recommendations.

Individuals with wheelchairs and other mobility devices

The Museum has a limited amount of wheelchairs available to borrow for wheelchair-accessible programs. To reserve a wheelchair for your visit, please call us at 1 (877) 975-3786 or email [email protected] at least 24 hours in advance. Please note that, depending on the size, motorized scooters may not be able to visit on tours inside our buildings. Call or email us for assistance.

Elevator Outage | Due to a mechanical malfunction, our elevator is out of service until further notice. All building tours at this time will require the use of stairs. For questions about tour accessibility, please e-mail [email protected].

Historic photo of the Forward Building on the Lower East Side

Discover how Lower East Siders shaped and were shaped by their neighborhood over the 19th and early 20th Centuries. From stores to parks, movie theaters to schools, discover how these spaces became important cultural centers.

From the story of Sebastiaen de Britto, one of the first Black residents of the area in the 1640s, to Studio We, a musician’s collective in the 1970s, we’ll look through windows into the past that expand the history of today’s Lower East Side.

The Grand Street Guild and Saint Marys Church

Every building on the Lower East Side tells its own story. On this tour, learn about the architects, artists and everyday people who influenced the design and use of the neighborhood’s buildings and shaped the streetscape of you see today.

Handling objects are available for our 100 Years Apart, Finding Home, and Day in the Life tours. Ask for these materials when you arrive at the Visitors Center.
Visitors can book a free tactile orientation to the Museum before their tour with two weeks’ advance notice. Call or email us to schedule.

Individuals who are Deaf or have Hearing Loss

Assistive Listening Devices
Assisted listening devices are available on all tours. However, these devices are not compatible with most hearing aids. For questions, please e-mail [email protected].

Language Aids

If you are looking for language translation for tours, please email [email protected] for options.

Virtual Experiences

The Tenement Museum offers a slate of digital programs – including virtual tours, panels, and discussions. You can learn more about these on our Upcoming Events page.

We are committed to increasing the accessibility of these virtual programs. Accommodations are available for all of our virtual programs. To request accessibility accommodations, please email us at [email protected] with a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice.

We are also hosting a small number of accessibility-focused programs. For more information and to be placed on our invite list for these programs, please contact us at [email protected].

COVID-19 Guidelines

Masks are not required, but are strongly recommended for all Museum visitors. For more information on our policy, please see our COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures.

Mask-Required Tours | For visitors more comfortable in an all-mask environment, we will be offering a mask-required run of 100 Years Apart at 2:45pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Traveling to the Museum

The subway station to the Museum, the Delancey-Essex F/J/M/Z station, has no elevator. The uptown F platform has an escalator that exits to the street level. The nearest wheelchair-accessible subway station is the B/D/F/M/6 stop at Broadway-Lafayette Street.

Elevators and Restrooms

The Visitors Center is equipped with universally-designed elevators and elevator-accessible restrooms on the basement level.

Elevator Outage | Due to a mechanical malfunction, our elevator is currently out of service until further notice. All building tours at this time will require the use of stairs. For questions about tour accessibility, please e-mail [email protected].