Accessibility
Ingenium is committed to creating inclusive spaces and addressing accessibility barriers so that visitors, staff and volunteers have opportunities to enjoy our museums.
The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is a working farm and educational facility located on a national heritage site, in the heart of Ottawa. While every effort is made to provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere, some areas of the museum have limited accessibility for visitors with disabilities.
Ingenium is working with the Rick Hansen Foundation to identify opportunities to improve accessibility at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.
Should you have any specific access needs, staff will gladly work with you to find a suitable solution so all can enjoy the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.
Museum site
The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum includes a working dairy farm, heritage and contemporary structures, outdoor exhibitions, and play areas. Visitors should be aware that they will be moving outdoors as they visit animal barns and travel between exhibitions and learning spaces.
The main entrance to the museum and the admission booth are located outdoors. There are ramps leading up to the admission booth window. Paved, outdoor pathways connect the main buildings at the museum.
- Main entrance: Just past the admission booth, there is an uphill grade to the paved path, which continues past the play structure.
- Horse and Cattle Barn: There is a slight uphill grade to the paved path leading into the Horse and Cattle Barn.
- Poultry House: Located next to the playground, the pathway around the Poultry House has uneven surfaces and is not paved.
- Playground: The children’s playground has uneven surfaces and is not paved. Sand surrounds the play structures.
- Discovery Park: This outdoor exhibition area is built on a hill, and the pathways are gravel (unpaved). Please note this area is not accessible in the winter season.
- Dairy Barn (ground level): There is an accessible entrance (button to open door) on the west side of the Dairy Barn. As visitors walk around the cows in the barn, one section of flooring has several small dips.
- Dairy Barn (second level): To enter the east side of the Dairy Barn (second floor),there is a paved, outdoor path with a significant uphill grade. There is an accessible entrance (button to open door).
- Memory Park: In the centre of the museum site, there is a green space called Memory Park. This is a grassy area with uneven surfaces. This area also includes a covered demonstration area and picnic tables which are located on paving stones.
- Small Animal Barn: There is an accessible entrance (push button to open door) on the north side of the barn. When travelling between the Small Animal Barn and the Learning Centre, there is a slight uphill grade.
- Learning Centre: To enter the glass doors of the Learning Centre, there is a paved path with a significant uphill grade.
Exhibitions
Accessibility standards inform our exhibition design, including considerations for:
- Height of text panels
- Touchscreen controls
- Height range for viewing objects up close
- Colour, contrast, size, and legibility of text
- Circulation routes
- Height, location, and design of seating
Aquaculture: Farming the Waters
The Aquaculture: Farming the Waters exhibition features several tactile models and braille panels.
Farming for the Future
The Farming for the Future exhibition features an accessible, ground-level cab where visitors can digitally drive a tractor.
Accessible parking
Visitor drop off and pick up is allowed near the main entrance to the museum. Please note the Admission Booth is located about 80 m from the parking lot.
Designated spaces are available for people with an accessible parking permit. There is no fee for parking vehicles with a valid accessible permit.
There are several designated parking spots for expectant parents near the museum’s main entrance.
Please note the museum’s parking lot is gravel (unpaved).
Visitors may pay for parking using pay stations on site, or the Park Indigo app. Please note that paying in advance does not guarantee a parking spot.
Sensory considerations
This museum is special because it is also a working farm! Its many different areas provide visitors with a range of sensory experiences. These experiences might be overwhelming for some.
There may be strong smells and loud sounds in the barns. The animals can be unpredictable, and tractors and other machinery are often in use. The barns have fans running, which is important for the health of the animals, but the fans can be very loud to our ears. While the barns are kept at a comfortable temperature for our animals, they might feel too cold or warm to us.
In the exhibitions, demonstration spaces, and play areas there may be bright lighting. These spaces can get crowded when the museum is busy. The museum is home to dust, hay, plants, animals, and other possible allergens. Please take this into consideration when planning your visit.
This guide can help you plan your visit and decide which parts of the museum you might want to visit or to avoid. Please ask at the Admission Booth if you would like to borrow sensory tools when you arrive.
Download sensory guide and map
Support persons
We are pleased to provide free museum admission to one support person accompanying each visitor with disabilities.
Service animals
Service animals are welcome in all areas of the museum. For the health and biomedical safety of the resident animals on the museum site, visitors are not permitted to bring pets (including emotional support animals).
Assistive devices
A wheelchair can be borrowed on a first-come, first-served basis, at no charge. To sign out a wheelchair, please visit our admissions booth.
Washrooms
Washrooms are located in each of the buildings on the museum grounds.
Accessible washrooms are located inside the Dairy Barn (second level) and the Learning Centre (first and second floors).
Gender-neutral washrooms are located inside the Small Animal Barn, the Horse and Cattle Barn, the Dairy Barn (ground level and second level), and the Learning Centre (first floor and second floor).
Baby care and nursing
Washrooms throughout the museum feature diaper-changing tables.
Breastfeeding is welcome in all areas of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.
Interpretation
All services, programs, and exhibitions at the museum are offered in both English and French.
On request, the museum may be able to offer interpretation in other languages. These requests should be made at least three weeks in advance of the planned visit.
Website
We strive to comply with all accessibility standards across our website. Please contact us if there are materials that you are having difficulties accessing, and we will work with you to provide the information in a format that meets your needs.
Our commitment to accessibility
Ingenium’s 2022-2025 Accessibility Plan outlines our commitment to becoming an inclusive organization that provides accessible programs, services, facilities, and employment opportunities. We are collaborating to identify and remove all barriers to accessibility.
Questions or inquiries about Ingenium’s Accessibility Plan or other accessibility initiatives can be directed to accessibility-accessibilite@IngeniumCanada.org.