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Accessibility

The Canadian War Museum aims to be welcoming and accessible for all. The Museum offers features and services meant to support a satisfying visit for visitors with disabilities. If you would like more information or have requirements that are not addressed below, please contact the Museum.

Museum Admission

  • Admission is free for one person accompanying a visitor with a disability to the Museum. The complimentary attendant tickets are not available online and may be obtained in person or by phone.
  • To reserve an attendant ticket please visit the on-site Box Office or call 819-776-7000 (TTY for people with hearing disabilities: 819-776-7003).

Children and Families

The Museum strives to ensure that families and children have a safe, comfortable and enjoyable visit. The Museum offers features and services meant to support a satisfying visit for visitors with disabilities. If you would like more information or have requirements that are not addressed below, please contact the Museum.

  • The Museum offers family ticket packages. Information on tickets can be found here.
  • Tickets can be purchased in advance on our webstore or in person upon arrival.
  • All children under the age of 12 visiting the Museum must be accompanied by an individual aged 16 years or older.

Accessing the Museum

  • The Canadian War Museum is located at 1 Vimy Place, on LeBreton Flats, at the corner of Booth Street and the Kichi Zībī Mīkan Parkway, west of Parliament Hill.
  • If you have a GPS device, enter the following data: 45.416746, -75.717028 or N45°24.999, W075°42.993, elevation 80 m.
  • To reach the Museum by Ottawa or Gatineau public transit, please use the OC Transpo or the Société de transport de l’Outaouais trip planner.
  • Both Ottawa and Gatineau’s paratransit services provide transportation for eligible users to and from the Canadian War Museum.
  • The Museum is accessible by bike along the Ottawa River Pathway.
  • In season, there are bike racks at both the north (river side) entrance of the Museum and the main entrance on Vimy Place. The Kichi Sibi Winter Trail also makes it possible to ski or snowshoe to the Museum.

Accessible Parking and Drop-Off

  • The Museum has a paid heated underground parking garage, which has eight spaces reserved for accessible parking permit holders on level P1. Parking rates are posted at the entrance to the garage.
  • The parking spots reserved for vehicles with accessible permits are between 3 and 3.5 metres wide.
  • In addition, the Museum has parking spaces reserved for veterans.
  • The height of vehicles using the indoor parking garage must be 1.98 m (6 feet 6 inches) or less.
  • The Museum is accessible from the parking garage using an elevator or a staircase.
  • On-street parking with coin meters is available in front of the Museum on Vimy Place.
  • Vehicles may stop in front of the Museum’s main entrance on Vimy Place to pick up or drop off visitors. Parking is not permitted in this area. There is a curb cut at this entrance, and a small waiting area inside.
  • There are automated entry doors at the main entrance to the Museum.

Wheelchairs, Strollers and Assistive Devices

  • The Canadian War Museum is wheelchair-accessible, and wheelchairs, strollers and scooters are permitted in all areas of the Museum.
  • All levels are connected by elevator, and ramps exist where required.
  • A limited number of wheelchairs, ear defenders, strollers and walkers are available at no charge. To reserve in advance, please click here or inquire at Information.
  • Most of the Museum is on the main level. There are sloped floors to access the exhibitions and the Memorial Hall.
  • The lower level houses the LeBreton Gallery, where military technology and vehicles are displayed. It is accessible by elevator, or by a very long ramp.

Elevator Access

  • The Canadian War Museum has elevators connecting the parking garage to the Main Lobby, and an elevator that provides access to the LeBreton Gallery.
  • The elevators have floor numbers indicated in Braille.
  • Explore the Canadian War Museum Museum Guide to plan your visit further.

Public Washrooms

  • Public washrooms, including accessible washrooms, are located on all levels of the Museum.
  • Baby change tables are available in all washrooms.
  • In addition, there are accessible, private, all-gender washrooms intended for a single user, with sufficient space for a companion or attendant, located throughout the Museum.
  • Please note, the Museum does not currently have an adult change table.

Service Animals

  • Service animals are welcome in the Museum.
  • Visitors bringing a service animal without visible identification should be prepared to present appropriate documentation from a healthcare provider at Information.
  • We request that visitors with non-traditional service animals contact the Museum in advance of their visit.

Sounds and Lighting

  • The Museum’s exhibitions are immersive, multi-sensory environments.
  • Sound effects are used in several areas. These include period music, voices, and other similar sounds. Some sounds play continuously, while others can be controlled by the user.
  • Visitors are welcome to wear noise-cancelling headphones during their visit. Ear defenders are also available for reservation (click here) or upon arrival at Information.
  • Exhibition lighting is lower than natural daytime lighting. This is to protect artifacts. There are no strobe or flashing lights in the ongoing exhibitions.
  • The LeBreton Gallery, Moriyama Regeneration Hall, and Memorial Hall each have brighter light, and no sound effects.
  • For information about sounds and lighting in the Museum’s special exhibitions, please contact the Museum.

Assistive Technology

  • Special events in the LeBreton Gallery and the Barney Danson Theatre use an induction loop system (you will need to switch your hearing aid to the “T” position). Please contact the Museum for more information.
  • Most video presentations include subtitles. The Museum is currently upgrading video production standards to include open captions on all videos.

Eating at the Museum

  • Breastfeeding is permitted throughout the Museum.
  • Visitors are permitted to use feeding tubes and machines when required throughout the Museum.
  • Other food and beverages are not permitted inside exhibition spaces.
  • Visitors are permitted to bring outside food to eat at the Museum in designated areas, including the Lobby and the Café.
  • Please note the Museum does not have a refrigerator or microwave available for visitors.
  • As the Museum does not control food that is brought by visitors, there may be a presence of peanuts or other allergens.
  • The Museum has full-service cafeteria available. Information on hours of operation can be found here.

On-Site and Virtual Tours, Programs, and Events

  • The Museum offers American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) interpretation for on-site and virtual tours and programs upon request. We request 15 business days’ notice to coordinate. To request an interpreter, please contact us for more information.
  • To discuss other accommodation requests, please contact the Museum.

Accessibility Plan

  • To learn more about the Museum’s Accessibility Plan, read this electronic version. This version works with assistive technology.

To send us an email or see other ways to contact us:

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