Accessibility

How to get there?

• We can apply for a temporary permit to cross the pedestrian area by car to reach the museum. This way, people can get out of the car at the entrance of the museum. With the permit you cannot drive through the busiest pedestrian areas of the city or park in Kraanlei. Would you like a permit? Contact us via info@huisvanalijn.be or 09 235 38 00.
• Upon request, a volunteer from the House of Alijn will provide personal assistance for blind and visually impaired people from the station/bus stop to the museum. Would you like to use this service? Groups must mention this in their reservation request, individual visitors can apply via Liesa.Rutsaert@stad.gent

Wheelchairs

The museum is located in a historical building that is not completely accessible yet to people with limited mobility. As there are no lifts in the building, the upper floors are not accessible to all wheelchair users.

• The entrance of the building is accessible via Just ring the doorbell and a museum employee will install the rails for you. However, the rails are not accessible to wheelchairs with unequal front and rear wheels. In that case, you can visit only part of the museum via the entrance at street level. Ring the doorbell and a museum employee will help you.

There are adapted sanitary facilities. Ask a museum employee for more information.

Alijn’s dream

We are dreaming of a renovated house that is accessible to everyone. After having carried out a feasibility study, with accessibility as one of the most important parameters, we will start drawing up a masterplan to realise the renovation or alteration of the building in the future.

Quiet moments

Quiet moments to visit the museum are Monday morning and every day an hour before closing time.

Entrance fees

• There is a reduced rate for holders of an UITpas card, Steunpunt Vakantieparticipatie and Fonds Vrijetijdsparticipatie and work with delayed tickets provided by Enchanté vzw.
  
  
• People who accompany persons with disabilities have free access. We accept the European Disability Card.
  
  
• Assistance dogs (with a visible feature such as a fluorescent vest or a vest that says ‘assistance dog’ or ‘service dog’) are allowed in the museum. Water is available at the museum café.

Floor plan

You can consult and download the floor plan of the museum beforehand. You can see the entire museum with indications of the museum rooms, practical info and signs.

Museum texts

Per room you can download the museum texts in pdf format, without lay-out. You can do this beforehand or at the museum, with free Wi-Fi.

Break

For visitors who have difficulty walking or who need to rest along the way, portable museum chairs are available.

In the main exhibition on the first floor, a relax area has been installed to sit down for a while.

Guided tours

Upon request, guides can provide a guided tour of the main exhibition tailored to the needs to people with dementia, people with autism, blind or visually impaired people, as well as deaf or hearing impaired people.

Would you like to plan a customised visit to a temporary exhibition? Please contact liesa.rutsaert@stad.gent.

The sensory basket

First aid in case of stimuli

• Sounds, smells, projections, dark and brightly lit rooms.  The museum is full of stimuli, not enough for some and too many for others.
  
  
• Thanks to the symbols in the museum (ear and nose), you can switch some of the stimuli on or off. Other stimuli are not as easy to control. That is why we offer a sensory basket.
  
  
• This basket contains all kinds of tools that can support people suffering from sensory processing sensitivity, such as a teddy bear, ear muffs, sunglasses, tangle fidget toys, etc.
  
  

How does it work?

• Ask for the sensory basket at the front desk.
  
  
• The basket contains a bag that you can use to put your tools in. You can choose which tools you want to take with you during your visit. Taking multiple tools is no problem at all.
  
  
• At the end of your visit, you need to return the bag with the tools to the front desk.

The experience tv

In the main exhibition of the museum there is an experience TV. It is a large touchscreen where visitors can admire the museum’s digital collection. The experience TV is adjusted in a way that people in a wheelchair can easily touch the screen.

The touchscreen is used especially for people with dementia to stimulate their personal memories or for wheelchair users who cannot visit the entire museum.