Blind / Low Vision

 

A visitor from the Cleveland Sight Center chats with a ranger outside Hunt House.

© Sara Guren

If you are blind or have low vision, Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a range of services to help you have a great visit. This is a work in progress. Check back for updates.

Publications

Cuyahoga Valley’s park map and guide is available in two alternative formats: braille and audio only.

You can pick up a braille version when you arrive or request a mailed one by emailing us or calling 440-717-3890. The braille version is a summary that you can keep as a souvenir.

For a complete description, use the audio version. This is available as text and audio files on our website. If you have a smartphone, download the UniDescription mobile app and search for it under Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

For a large print version of our seasonal Valley Guide newspaper, email us or call 440-717-3890.

Visitor Centers

We encourage you to start at Boston Mill Visitor Center, located in the center of the park and open year round. It offers a braille version of the park’s map and guide, and a tactile floor plan. The exhibits have other tactile elements including a large map of Cuyahoga Valley. The exhibits have been audio described. You can access this in two ways. If you own an iPhone, download the free "NPS Audio Description Tours" app and select "Cuyahoga Valley National Park." If you do not, the ranger at the desk can lend you a device.

Canal Exploration Center is in the north and has seasonal hours. It offers a braille version of the park’s map and guide, audio described exhibits, and a tactile floor plan.

Hunt House is in the south and has seasonal hours. It offers a braille version of the park’s map and guide. There are ADA compliant tactile entrance signs at the house and the restrooms. The outdoor exhibit includes an audio station and tactile play elements.

Other Places with Audio Description

More than 100 locations, including most outdoor graphic panels, have been audio described. We are gradually making this available on our website and on the National Park Service mobile app. The complete list is:

• Rockside Station
• Lock 39 Trailhead Information
• Lock 39 River Access
• Lock 39
• Waste Weir
• South Park Exhibits
• Pilgerruh Panel
• Cuyahoga River and Prehistoric People
• Canal Exploration Center Trailhead
• Mule Power Panel and Statue
• Tavern and Store Panel
• Lock 38 at Canal Exploration Center
• Canal Exploration Center Station
• Gleason Farm Panel
• Tinkers Creek Aqueduct
• Lock 37 and Flood Gate
• Alexander/Wilson Mill
• Frazee House Towpath Panel
• Frazee House
• Mudcatcher
• Lock 36
• Removing Barriers Panel
• Lock 35
• Greenwood Village: Prehistoric Earthwork
• Greenwood Village: Fort or Sacred Site?
• Old Canal Bed Panel
• Station Road Bridge Exhibits
• Restoring the Cuyahoga River Exhibits
• Brecksville Station
• Station Road Bridge Trailhead Information
• Station Road Bridge River Access
• Jaite/Park Headquarters
• Lock 34
• Red Lock Trailhead
• Red Lock Trailhead River Access
• Jaite Paper Mill Site
• Lock 33
• Stanford Trailhead
• Stanford House
• Lock 32
• Boston Village Exhibits
• Boston Street View Panel
• Boston Store Trailhead
• Boston Store Trailhead River Access
• Boston Mill Station
• Boston Trailhead
• Stumpy Basin
• Lock 31
• Welcome to Peninsula Panel
• Peninsula Depot
• Village and River Linked Panel
• Lock 29 Trailhead Information
• Lock 29 River Access
• Lock 29
• Lock 29 Inside Exhibits
• Lock 29 Upper Level
• Moody and Thomas Mill Site
• Lock 30
• Peninsula Feeder
• Lock 28
• Deep Lock Quarry Panel
• Horseshoe Pond Trailhead Information
• Oak Hill Trailhead Information
• Everett Covered Bridge Trailhead Information
• Everett Covered Bridge
• Founders Exhibits
• Lock 27
• Hunt House Trailhead
• Hunt House and Outdoor Exhibits
• Indigo Lake Trailhead Information
• Indigo Lake Station
• Indigo Lake Panel
• Ira Trailhead Information
• Ira Trailhead Exhibits
• Lock 26
• Beaver Marsh Viewing Platform
• Beaver Marsh, North Boardwalk
• Cuyahoga’s Floodplain Panel
• Bath Road Heronry
• Lock 25
• Lock 24
• Botzum Trailhead Information
• Botzum Station
• Brandywine Falls Trailhead Information
• Brandywine Falls Lower Viewing Platform
• Brandywine Falls Upper Viewing Platform
• Champion Electric Company Panel
• Hines Hill Center Information
• Pine Lane Trailhead Information
• Happy Days Historic Sign
• Boston Run Trailhead Information
• Happy Days Lodge and Panel
• Haskell Run Trailhead Information
• Ledges Overlook
• Ledges Trailhead Information
• Ledges Shelter and Exhibits
• Ritchie Ledges Panel
• Carved in Stone Panel
• Octagon Shelter and Exhibits
• Pine Grove Trailhead Information
• Kendall Lake Trailhead Information
• Kendall Lake Pier and Shelter
• Ohio’s Lake Placid Panel
• Pine Hollow Trailhead Information
• Wetmore Trailhead Information
• Akron Northside Station
• Blue Hen Falls Overlook

Restroom Photo Galleries with Alt Text

We provide photo galleries of our public restrooms to help people with accessibility concerns plan their trip. The photos show each accessible route, sink area, and wheelchair-accessible toilet and urinal. The galleries cover different regions of the national park. Once you open a gallery page, click the photo names to get the detailed information. The images have descriptions and alt text.

Audio Stations on the Towpath Trail

The outdoor exhibits at these locations include a hand-cranked audio station with four educational messages. The list is:

• Alexander/Wilson Mill
• Station Road Bridge Trailhead
• Jaite Mill site
• Hunt House

Tactile Exhibits on the Towpath Trail

The following outdoor exhibits along the popular Towpath Trail include tactile elements. When walking this trail, keep right and listen for bicyclists passing on the left. The list is:

• Lock 39
• Mule Power Panel and Statue
• Tavern and Store Panel
• Station Road Bridge
• Restoring the Cuyahoga River Exhibits
• Boston Village Exhibits
• Lock 29 Inside Exhibits
• Hunt House and Outdoor Exhibits
• Ira Trailhead Exhibits
• Lock 26
• Beaver Marsh Viewing Platform

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has a Voices of the Valley audio tour available on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Train Tracker app for your smart phone.

 

Volunteers lead a tandem biking program for the Cleveland Sight Center.

© D.J. Reiser

Tandem Bike Program

The national park partners with the Cleveland Sight Center to offer a seasonal tandem bike program along the Towpath Trail. Contact us for information.

Contact Us

If you did not find answers to your questions, email us. We also welcome your suggestions for removing barriers and creating more enjoyable experiences.

The park’s accessibility coordinator, Ranger Arrye Rosser, can provide trip-planning advice tailored to your individual needs. Email her or leave a message at Boston Mill Visitor Center, 440-717-3890.