Accessibility at CMC

Radical welcome is at the heart of Cincinnati Museum Center’s mission.

We value inclusion. We value empathy. We value you. And we are working on some resources to help everybody feel even more welcome at CMC.

Quiet Zones

Quiet zones are located throughout the building If you borrow equipment from a Quiet Zone during your trip, thanks for returning it to its original location or any ticketing booth before you leave. Used fidgets are yours to keep! Quiet zones are located at:

• Public Safety (Rotunda – Shared Space)
  Equipped with a Minky-covered 5 lb. weighted blanket, noise reducing earmuffs, various fidgets, a liquid motion timer, adjustable lighting, child sized egg chairs, a couch and first aid supplies. Medication, pumped milk and required food items that need to stay chilled can be stored in the refrigerator in the Public Safety Quiet Zone as needed.
• Nursing Room by Fountain Gallery (Mezzanine – Private Room)
  Equipped with a Minky-covered 5 lb. weighted blanket, noise reducing earmuffs, various fidgets, a comfortable chair, small table, infant changing table and sink.
• Nursing Room on The Avenue (Lower Level – Private Room)
  Equipped with a Minky-covered 5 lb. weighted blanket, noise reducing earmuffs, various fidgets, a comfortable chair, small table, infant changing table and sink.
• Parent Resource Room (inside Little Sprouts Farm in The Children’s Museum – Private)
  Equipped with a couch, two comfortable rocking chairs, two child sized egg chairs and books. Minky-covered 5 lb. weighted blanket, fidgets and earmuffs available upon request.

Additionally, all Ticket Booths are equipped with fidgets and earmuffs which are available upon request.

Restrooms

Accessible restrooms are located throughout Union Terminal. Each restroom has the following amenities.

• Infant changing tables in every restroom
• Trash bins in all accessible stalls
• Manual flush toilets and paper towel dispensers. A few restrooms do have air hand dryers.

Universal, single-stall restrooms are located in the Concourse, on the Mezzanine and on the Lower Level near the Museum of Natural History & Science.

Adult changing tables (holding up to 400 lb.) are located in universal restrooms in the Concourse, on the Mezzanine and on the Lower Level near the Museum of Natural History & Science. Staff and visitors may use the restroom that corresponds to the gender with which they best identify.

OMNIMAX^® Theater

Our immersive five-story domed theater serves to take guests to places they can only imagine. And we don’t want anyone to be left out of those experiences!

• Accessible, wheelchair seating is offered at the top of the OMNIMAX^® dome. OMINMAX^® staff are happy to assist guests up the elevator.
• For those prone to motion sickness, it is recommended to sit in the top two rows of the theater.
• As the OMNIMAX^® can be loud and overwhelming to some, the theater is now equipped with earmuffs, fidgets and a 5 lb. weighted lap blanket. Tools are available upon request.
• OMNIMAX^® films offer descriptive audio, closed captioning and assisting listening. Tools are available upon request.

Mobility Amenities

CMC is happy to offer the following services for those who need them.

• Additional seating throughout the museums
• Elevators
• Push button controls on Museum doors
• Wheelchairs and Electronic Convenience Vehicles (ECVs) are available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis from the box office. Wheelchairs are $5. ECVs are $25. Renters must be over 18 years old and sign the Guest Mobility Equipment Rental Agreement. A driver’s license or credit card will be held at the box office until the wheelchair or ECV is returned.

Visual Amenities

CMC is happy to offer the following services for those who need them.

• Bronze, tactile statutes in the Dinosaur Hall, The Cave plaza, Ice Age and Cincinnati in Motion galleries
• Braille in the Dinosaur Hall exhibit.
• There are no touch "button" locations throughout the museum that activate light, sound and movement.
• The following OMNIMAX^® films offer descriptive audio for the visually impaired:
  • Secrets of the Sea

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Amenities

CMC is happy to offer the following services for those who need them.

• Script version of featured exhibit audio is available upon request (see box office)
• Deaf Days are held at least once per the run of a Featured Exhibit
• Please ask the box office about available aids for the deaf and hard of hearing for OMNIMAX^® films.

Service Animals

Trained service animals required to perform tasks for or assist with a person with a disability are permitted in Cincinnati Museum Center. Service animals should remain on a leash or in a harness and under the control of the owner at all times. In compliance with the ADA, we only allow Service Dogs and Miniature Horses.

For more information, please view the ADA's Service Animal Requirements and the ADA's Service Animal FAQ.

Additional access-focused initiatives will roll out on an ongoing basis.

Additional Information

• Caregivers, who are visiting the museum for the purpose of providing care to an Individual with Disabilities, will be able to receive a free, complementary Museum Admission ticket. The caregiver will need to visit the box office to receive their ticket. As a reminder, the caregiver comp ticket only applies to the Museum Admission ticket. Caregivers will need to pay to visit OMNIMAX^® and Featured Exhibits.
• Guests with valid food assistance SNAP or Medicaid card and photo ID will receive free parking and $2/person admission with the Museum Admission Ticket for up to ten guests as a part of our Museums for All program. Eligible recipients can also receive $2/person Holocaust & Humanity Center tickets and $2 Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains tickets tickets. Valid cards from all 50 U.S. states will be accepted. Cards must be presented at Box Office. Museums for All tickets cannot be purchased online.
• There is also food and drink available for purchase in the walk-up, on-site restaurant: Nourish 513. The onsite restaurant is peanut free and has nutrition and allergy information available. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the museums.