Blind / Low Vision Accessibility

Need A Little Help?

Assistive listening devices for amplification are available upon request for guided tours and park ranger programs. The park orientation film, Close to Home, offers captioning. An online version of the film provides audio descriptions for those with personal smart phones or tablets.

 

Many areas of Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site are accessible to visitors with physical or mobility concerns. Information here is organized geographically; check out our park map to better understand the relation between these parts of the park.

While the overall outdoor landscape and building interiors at the park provide a moderate degree of accessibility for individuals with disabilities, different disabilities require varying degrees of access. For example, what may be a navigable path for some individuals, may present a challenge for others. The assessment ratings will provide individuals with all types of disabilities with detailed and relevant information to help them fully enjoy the landscape, gardens, historic buildings, and museum during their visit.

 

Access Ratings Explained

This page provides ratings for accessibility for outdoor areas and buildings within the historic core at Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. A graduated scale of access ratings—Good, Adequate, and Limited—is utilized to inform individuals with disabilities about barrier assessment information when visiting the Park. The access ratings incorporate the following scale:

GOOD—Outdoor pathways, grounds, building entrances, and interiors are largely accessible to persons with mobility, visual and Deaf and Hard of Hearing disabilities.

ADEQUATE—Outdoor pathways, grounds, building entrances, and interiors are not accessible due to minor barriers. For example, pathway surface material may be in disrepair, or building interiors may lack adequate accommodations for persons who are Deaf.

LIMITED—Outdoor pathways, grounds, building entrances, and interiors are inaccessible due to significant barriers.

 

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Parking

The main parking lot is 800 feet from the historic core of the park and is located on the upper right section of the entrance drive into the park. The entire parking area surface is paved asphalt. The main parking area does not include ADA compliant parking spaces.

Two Accessible parking spaces are located at the end of the main park roadway by crossing over the wooden bridge and are adjacent to the Stable/Garage. The parking spaces have no access aisles; surface material is hardpacked stone dust.

The accessible parking spaces are 280 feet from the historic core and provide an adequate accessible route to the historic buildings through the cutting garden.

 

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Path of Travel

All buildings and features addressed in this section are within a moderate radius of one another, connected by a network of paths in various materials and conditions. From the main parking area, the Stone Cottage Visitor Center, Val-Kill Cottage, the Playhouse, and the Cutting Garden are accessed along the entrance drive. The entrance drive is a shared use roadway with pedestrians and limited automobile traffic enroute to the accessible parking spaces adjacent to the Stable/Garage. This road is paved asphalt from the park entrance to the main parking lot but is compact stone dust and earth continuing from the pond bridge. Once the road reaches the historic core, it splits into two loops and connects to a mix of compact earth or flagstone paths leading to each building.

 

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Public Restrooms

Access Rating: GOOD

Path of Travel

The main parking area leads to the entrance drive, which curves along the historic core adjacent to Stone Cottage and leads to the rear parking area with access to Eleanor’s Walk/Val-Kill Loop and Top Cottage Trail. The restroom building can be accessed from the main entrance roadway by crossing the lawn area opposite the wooden bridge and following the flagstone path. The restroom building is situated between Val-Kill Cottage and the Playhouse. The pathway does not include signage directing individuals with disabilities to the public restrooms.

Entrance

Separate entrance doors to the restroom building lead directly into both the woman’s and men’s restrooms.

Interior

Restrooms contain three toilet stalls, including one fully ADA compliant stall.

 

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Stone Cottage Visitor Center & Exhibits

Access Rating: ADEQUATE

Entrance

Main entrance to Stone Cottage is accessible from a flagstone path, which leads to the primary entrance.

Interiors

Interior rooms and description tables provide visual viewing and printed materials. Conventional printed language may not be fully accessible to all Deaf individuals.

There are no rest rooms inside Stone Cottage. Rest rooms are in a separate building located between the Playhouse and Val-Kill Cottage.

 

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Val-Kill Cottage

Access Rating: LIMITED

Path of Travel

Sections of the flagstone pathway from the Visitor Center to Val-Kill Cottage are difficult to navigate: there is significant rise in one section with 1 – 2 inch gaps in numerous sections, which can pose an unsafe and challenging surface for individuals visual disabilities.

Tour Introduction

Park rangers present an overview and history of Val-Kill Cottage to visitors prior to self-guided tours. The presentations are conducted on the lawn outside the front porch entrance to the Cottage.

Cottage Entrance

Visitors access the entrance to the Cottage via a screened porch and an ADA compliant accessible ramp. There is a one-inch threshold rise from the ramp to the interior of the cottage.

Cottage Interior

Interior rooms and entranceways may limit independent maneuverability for visitors with disabilities due to protruding exhibition tables, furniture and interior architectural barriers. The hallways are narrow and can be congested during tours, which may also present a challenge for visitors with disabilities. Visitors exit the tour via the Living Room porch with two steps down to the rear grounds of the cottage. Park rangers are present throughout the tour to provide assistance to visitors with disabilities.

Rest Rooms

There are no rest rooms inside Val-Kill Cottage.

 

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Playhouse (Orientation Film)

Access Rating: LIMITED

Path of Travel

Crossing the grassy lawn may present a challenge for visitors with visual disabilities. A combination of flagstone and compact earth pathways lead leads directly to the Playhouse from the Stone Cottage Visitor Center. Signage posted adjacent to the Playhouse building is not in braille and is inaccessible for visitors with visual disabilities. Park staff are available on park grounds to assist persons with disabilities navigate areas within the historic core. Requests for assistance can also be directed to the visitor desk at Stone Cottage.

Entrance

Entrance doors are accessible. Threshold approach is slightly pitched and may be slightly difficult to navigate for individuals with visual disabilities.

Interior

The foyer leads to main room with portable chairs for viewing the orientation film. The small dimensions of the main room may present maneuverability challenges for visitors with visual disabilities. Film does not provide audio or transcription and is inaccessible to visitors with visual disabilities. The film can also be viewed on YouTube, which provides full accessibility to individuals with visual disabilities.

Rest Rooms

There are no rest rooms inside the Playhouse.

 

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Cutting Garden

Access Rating: ADEQUATE

Path of Travel

The main parking area leads to the entrance drive, which curves along the historic core adjacent to Stone Cottage and leads to additional parking spaces in the rear parking area with access to Eleanor’s Walk/Val-Kill Loop and Top Cottage Trail. The cutting garden can be accessed from the main entrance roadway by crossing the lawn area opposite the wooden bridge and following the flagstone pathway (past Val-Kill Cottage and the restrooms) to the stone dust pathway alongside the Playhouse, which leads to the cutting garden to the rear of the Playhouse. There is no signage directing visitors to the cutting garden.

The path does not provide a tactile surface to guide visitors with visual disabilities to navigate routes to the garden entrances. Ranges are available on-site to assist visitors with disabilities to navigate the grounds.

Entrance

The cutting garden can be accessed from the main entrance roadway by crossing the lawn area opposite the wooden bridge and following the flagstone pathway (past Val-Kill Cottage and the restrooms) to the stone dust pathway alongside the Playhouse, which leads to the cutting garden to the rear of the Playhouse. There is no signage directing visitors to the cutting garden. The path does not provide a tactile surface to guide visitors with visual disabilities to navigate route to the garden entrances. Rangers are available on-site to assist visitors with disabilities to navigate the grounds.

Interior Pathways

Level circular pathways surround raised garden beds. Circular pathways are comprised of fine textured stone dust surface material; stone dust may be a bit dense in certain areas. Garden beds are encased in 3-inch edge protectors; edging also surrounds outer perimeter of garden area.