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Fredrick Douglass National Historic Site welcomes all individuals with a disability! The park strives for accessibility by communicating barriers and providing alternative programming. Explore the accessibility pages for relevant information categorized by disability type. Contact us with any questions or for help planning your visit. 
Photo: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk Resources
Photo: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk A wheelchair is available for visitors to borrow while at the site and can be requested at the visitor center.
Parking Lot: There are two designated accessible spaces with an aisle in between near the visitor center entrance. The parking lot is paved. Visitor Center: The visitor center is a single-level building at street level. Doors at the entrance and restrooms can only be opened manually. Once inside there’s room to navigate in a wheelchair. As visitors enter, they will see the information desk to the left. Further past the desk is the theater room. Next to the statue is a gift shop with items available for purchase. Further back left are the restrooms. In the theater room, there’s space to place up to four wheelchairs at a time. Historic House: The historic house is a multi-level building on top of a large hill. It is 50 feet above street level. There is a paved ramp between the visitor center / parking lot area and the bottom of the hill. A paved road consumes the rest of the pathway to the top of the hill, and becomes steep with a rise of 9.35%. With staff permission, you can use a personal vehicle (no larger than a 15-passenger van) to access the top of the hill. Please be advised that wheelchairs more than 27.5 inches wide will not fit through the narrowest door frame on the first floor. There is a ramp within the home that has a rise of 13.65%. The second floor can only be reached by stairs, as there is no elevator inside the house. Staff can provide a photo tour of the second floor for any visitors unable to reach it. 
Photo: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk Deaf / Hearing Loss Visitor Center: The 19-minute film "Fighter for Freedom: The Frederick Douglass Story" is open-captioned. Assistive listening devices are available by request. There are 32 available devices. The brand is Listen Technologies, and the type is LR-500-072/216. Each device has a detachable earpiece for one ear. Historic House: Assistive listening devices are available by request for the house tour. If you would like to request an American Sign Language interpreter, please notify us two weeks in advance by contacting us. 
Photo: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk Blind / Low Vision Visitor Center: Descriptive listening devices are available by request for the 19-minute film "Fighter for Freedom: The Frederick Douglass Story." A tactile statue of Frederick Douglass stands in the visitor center.
Service Animals
Service animals are allowed in both the visitor center and historic house. See the U.S. Department of Justice's website for a definition of a service animal.
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Last updated: March 28, 2024