Accessibility
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery welcomes all visitors and is committed to making the museum a rich and rewarding experience for all. To support your visit, we offer a variety of accommodations detailed below.
Accessible Entrance
The main entrance and exit doors to the museum are equipped with push-button activation.
Drop-off Area and Parking
There is a drop-off area in front of the main entrance to Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The museum has 4 accessible parking spaces located just outside The Museum Café entrance for vehicles displaying disabled plates or placards.
Public Transportation
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is located 2 blocks north of the Downtown Transit center. The museum can also be reached by way of the Mason and Poudre River Bike Trails.
Elevators
An elevator serving the 2nd and 3rd levels of the building is located in the main lobby of the museum.
Ability Pass
Visitors with intellectual, physical and/or developmental disabilities who are accompanied by a caregiver receive discounted general admission, discounted admission for the OtterBox Digital Dome Theater, and free admission for their caregiver. Ability passes can also be purchased and saved to an account.
Service dogs
Service dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability are welcome in the museum.
Wheelchair Loan
The Welcome Desk has a wheelchair that may be checked out on a first-come, first-served basis free of charge for use within the building. The wheelchair is manually operated and may not be taken off museum property. Guests are welcome to bring their own wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
Restrooms
All restrooms are located on the first floor of the museum and can be found near The Museum Café or in the Music and Sound Lab under the Jukebox Archway. All gender/companion assisted restrooms are located in the Music and Sound Lab of the main exhibit gallery. All restrooms are equipped with an accessible stall and baby-changing stations.
S.P.A.R.K. Packs
The S.P.A.R.K. Explorer Pack is a Sensory Processing and Autism Resource Kit that was designed by the Colorado Autism Society and the Autism Community Store in Denver. The items inside can be used to sensory-soothe or sensory-provoke. Each kit includes a wiggle seat, a visor, noise reducing headphones, a ‘seek-and-find’ weighted lap pad, and fidget keychains. It can be used during your gallery visit or during a film in the OtterBox Digital Dome Theater! It will be available for check out at the front desk for no additional fee. An ID or membership card will be needed for a deposit.
An FCMoD Social Story:
A Social Story is a tool used to explain specific occurrences, concepts, and interactions in a digestible manner, as well as develop greater social understanding and safety for people on the Autism spectrum. Download An FCMoD Social Story here: An FCMoD Social Story.
OtterBox Digital Dome Theater
Wheelchair Spaces
The Otterbox Digital Dome Theater has 3 wheelchair spaces with adjacent companion seats as available. Guests may use the elevator in the main lobby to access the second floor.
The OtterBox Digital Dome Theater is compatible with T-coil–equipped hearing aids. Wireless receivers with headphones for other visitors who require assistive listening are available upon request.
Hearing Loops in the OtterBox Digital Dome
What is a Hearing Loop?
Hearing Loops allow people who wear hearing aids to directly receive the sound from the Dome’s sound system in their own hearing aids, much like Wi-Fi for laptops. You will no longer have to pick up a separate listening device.
Do my hearing aids work in a loop?
If you wear hearing instruments you will need to find out if they have this wireless receiver, called a T-coil or Telecoil, built in to benefit from the hearing loop in our Dome. The T-coil program is accessed by pushing a button on your hearing aid. This T-coil setting has to be activated before use. Please consult your audiologist to ensure your t-coils are properly adjusted.
Hearing loops improve hearing aids!
Digital hearing aids have significantly improved in the last decade, but they do not restore hearing to normal. Difficulties often remain when in challenging listening situations. Hearing loops help hearing aid users overcome this problem by broadcasting sound without background noise or reverberation.
Loop Information: www.hearingloop.org