ACCESSIBILITY
The Museum welcomes everyone and aims to make each visitor's experience as enjoyable as possible. We have a range of facilities for visitors with additional needs. Please contact us for more specific information.
Getting here
There are three disabled parking spaces in the Museum car park available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is also Pay and Display parking available on Museum Road opposite the Museum building. Information about accessible parking outside the Museum can be found here.
Pushchairs
You are welcome to bring your pushchair into the Museum, as our wide aisles (built for Victorian ladies in crinolines!) make it easy to get around. If you require lift access, you can enter at the right-hand side (south side) of the Museum and use the lift there. Once inside, you can use the lift to access the upper gallery. Please ask if you need any help, and download a floor plan to help you locate these entrances.
Coats and bags
Please note that the Museum does not have a cloakroom to store coats or bags.
Accessible entry to the Museum
Ongoing construction work has resulted in some changes to the exterior of the Museum, but our disabled entrance is still easily reachable. When approaching the front entrance of the Museum (the big wooden doors), take a turn to the right and follow the signs for the accessible entrance. These signs will guide you through the hoarding and up a ramp, into the Museum. Once you enter the Museum, a short corridor will lead you to a lift, allowing you to access all floors of the building.
There are three accessible toilets at the Museum, all on the lower ground floor.
Museum access guide
More information, including photos of the accessible entrances and lifts, is available in our access guide.
Audio description
An audio-description introducing the museum is available here:
Listen to the Museum audio description
Workshops for adults with learning disabilities
Oxford University Gardens, Libraries and Museums have relaunched Workshops with Adults for Learning disabilities. These sessions are free and usually last for 1.5-2 hours. Check our What's On page for details about upcoming workshops at the Museum of Natural History, or find out more about Workshops across the Oxford University Gardens, Libraries and Museums.
Touch Tours for the blind
Oxford University Gardens, Libraries and Museums offer Touch Tours for the Blind and Partially Sighted on the 2nd Thursday of every month. For information about Touch Tours at the Museum of Natural History, please telephone 01865 282 456, or email outreach@oum.ox.ac.uk.
Assistance dogs and assistance dogs in training
Sadly, the Museum can’t accept visits from pets as ‘passenger’ insects that travel in or live on animals pose a threat to our taxidermy specimens.
The Museum welcomes visitors with assistance animals. If you are visiting with an assistance animal, please note the following:
- We request all assistance animals to be on a lead where possible and expect them to not wander freely throughout the Museum.
- We politely request that assistance animals wear a harness or jacket whilst in the Museum to help identify them to staff and visitors.
- If you are planning to make a visit with an assistance animal other than a dog, we would be grateful if you could contact the Museum in advance to let our Visitor Services team know to expect you: foh@oum.ox.ac.uk
- For more information about Museum accessibility, please visit our accessibility webpage.
Visiting with children on the autism spectrum
Oxford University Museum of Natural History is proud of its family-friendly status, but recognises that visiting with children on the autistic spectrum can still be challenging. We hope that this visual guide, which shows recent changes to the Museum because of COVID 19, will help prepare you for your visit. Please download the Visual Guide PDF and open with Adobe PDF reader or Acrobat for best results:
Hidden Disability Lanyards
The Museum is pleased to offer Sunflower Lanyards for any visitors who have a hidden disability such as autism, chronic pain, dementia, anxiety, a visual or hearing impairment. These discreet lanyards signify to staff that the individual(s) might need additional support, guidance, or more time around the Museum. These Sunflower Lanyards can be borrowed from the entrance Welcome Desk then returned upon leaving the Museum.
Hearing impairments
The Lecture Theatre on the first floor and the Welcome Desk at the main entrance are fitted with hearing loops.
SEND pack
We have a SEND pack available for visitors with equipment and sensory items to help distract and calm. It includes dinosaur toys, bags of small minerals, a plush dodo, squishy turtles, jangly bones, ear defenders, and a push and pop sensory fidget square. The pack is available for free from the Welcome Desk. Please ask one of our friendly staff when you arrive if you would like to borrow it for your visit.
Digital Accessibility
For digital accessibility, please visit:
Website Accessibility Statement
Looking for a quieter visit?
The Museum is at its busiest during the weekends and school holidays. During these periods, noise levels can be high and crowds can form. If you would like to visit the Museum when it is less busy, we would recommend Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 to 11:00 or 15:00 to 17:00. You can also find a list of access events, such as our autism-friendly openings, in the grid below.
Mobility
Chairs with backs and armrests can be found throughout the Museum's galleries. Please ask at the front desk if you need help finding these. The Museum galleries include interactive displays which are accessible to wheelchair users.
There is lift access to all areas of the Museums. Use is prioritised for people with mobility issues and we ask that people who do not need a lift please use the stairs when possible.
