Accessibility of the MET in New York City

When I was in New York City for my trip, I visited two museums. A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the Natural History Museum, and this week, I want to review the MET for accessibility.

Elevators:

One of the main things I look for when I review accessibility is how central the elevator is to the building. I do this because if the elevator is hidden, guarded, not near any exhibit, or otherwise hard to use, it takes away from being in the moment to seek out the accommodation. The Met had elevators hidden to the point that, while I went with a group who used the stairs, I only saw the elevator once in a spot that did not look convenient. This museum seemed like stairs were the main way to go, and the elevator was something to search for. This is hard to navigate for people with invisible disabilities because no one would know you need to find the elevator unless you find someone to ask. I rate this elevator accessibility low because while it does exist, it is hidden.

Seating:

I do not know why museums think we want to look at chairs more than we want to sit in them, but this museum was no exception. Many of the rooms did not have seats; however, those that did had more seating per room than most other art museums. Because of the lack of seating throughout many of the exhibits, I felt very tired by the end of this museum. I wish every room in art museums had six seats per normal room and 20 seats per large exhibit. This way, visitors can rest, draw, take pictures, and otherwise pause in rooms without being required to stand.

Website:

On its website, the MET notes that wheelchairs can be rented on a first-come, first-served basis, and an aid to help push users can be requested two weeks in advance. Accessibility guides are made for blind visitors, deaf visitors, people with dementia, and visitors with developmental disabilities, including autism. Social stories can be downloaded for autistic visitors. Visitors with a disability can get discounted tickets of $22, caregivers can gain free admission, and residents of New York can access the museum using the pay-what-you-want feature used in other New York museums, such as the Natural History Museum. I did appreciate that the MET accounts for dementia, as that is not a disability I typically encounter accessibility information for.

Overall Rating:

Overall, I would rate the MET at a 3/5 for accessibility. While their website is promising, in practice, many of the accessibility features feel hidden, as if I had to know about them to ask for them. When I went to a museum in Santa Barbara, a worker informed us that we qualified for free admission as we did not know to ask. The MET did not ask about accessibility needs, and tools such as the elevator were largely hidden from sight. This was sad because many of the art pieces were very unique, including armor, Van Gogh pieces, stained glass, and Egyptian exhibits.

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Thank you for reading about the MET accessibility in New York City. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!