Accessibility

Discover how you can experience the memorial!

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

Welcome

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial welcomes all individuals with disabilities and their service animals! The park strives to make visitation accessible by removing barriers and communicating accessibility. Explore our accessibility page for access information before you visit. Visit Photos & Multimedia to view an audio described and close captioned video Keeping the Dream Alive. Contact us with any questions or for help planning your visit!

Resources

• NPS Accessibility
• File a Disability Complaint
• Disability Services (usa.gov)
• Programs for People with Disabilities (HHS.gov)

Additional aid

• TTY Federal Relay Service [phone]
• Voice Carry Over (VCO) [phone]
• Speech-to-Speech [phone]

 

Bollards leading to the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial.

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

Parking

• Accessible parking is available next to the memorial on West Basin Drive.
• Standard parking is offered along Independence Avenue.

Access

• Visitors walk from the sidewalk along West Basin Drive and Independence Avenue into the open memorial area. There is enough room to navigate around in a wheelchair. As visitors approach the memorial from this direction, there are bollards leaving about 3 and ½ feet of room to navigate through.

 

Benches surround the memorial for convenience.

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

• The surface of the memorial is firm concrete. Concrete benches with no arm or back rest blend into low concrete walls in the memorial area.

 

A railing stands on the side of the memorial facing the Tidal Basin.

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

• The Tidal Basin sits on the other side of the memorial. A railing protects visitors from falling, but be aware the railing ends after a few yards, and the sidewalk continues around the Tidal Basin.

 

The bookstore's interior.

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

Bookstore

• The bookstore is located across West Basin Drive from the memorial. To enter the bookstore, visitors must pull open the double doors or press the push to open button located on the right, standing at about three feet tall. There is a threshold visitors must navigate over.
• There is room to navigate around the bookstore in a wheelchair. The surface of the bookstore is firm concrete.
• Accessible, gendered restrooms are located on the back side of the bookstore. Restrooms can only be accessed from the outside. Each restroom has two wheelchair accessible stalls, and a changing table. The entrance for each restroom is about three feet wide. There is also one family restroom.The water fountain is not usable at this time.

 

The bookstore's information window.

Photo: NPS / Kate McCarthy

• The information window is located on the side of the bookstore facing West Basin Drive. The window sits at about three feet above ground level.