Accessibility at Carmarthenshire Museum

• We are working on making large print guides available for all our permanent exhibition galleries. Please let us know at least 3 days in advance of your visit if you would like a large print guide to the Museum. We will ensure that we have this ready for you at Reception.
• Large print guides are available for all special exhibitions and can be downloaded from the access section of the relevant exhibition page.
• Please don't forget to return large print guides at the end of your visit.

• All audio-visual displays in the Museum have captions. 
• All videos on the digital table in the Museum have captions.

• A portable induction loop is available to use from the Reception Desk in the Gift Shop. There is usually no need to book this in advance.

• We have three sets of child-sized ear defenders available for use. Please book these at least 3 working days in advance of your visit at info@cofgar.wales. 

Natural light

Several galleries benefit from natural light: 

• The Discovery gallery and Create, Commission, Collect gallery have several large windows that look out into the Bishop's Park. 
• The Commemorate gallery is top lit by a lantern roof.
• Yr Hen Gegin has some natural light from windows facing the Jenkinson Garden.
• The Chapel is a darker space, but receives a lot of light in the morning through windows facing the Park.

Tactile displays

• The Temporary Exhibition Gallery includes a tactile display. Twelve panels showing scenes from the artworks on display are made from tactile materials like wool, felt, and shells.

• The main entrance of Carmarthenshire Museum is step-free and has a wheelchair-accessible door that opens automatically on entry and exit.
• The Museum entrance is located on the left (west side) of the building if approaching from the main car park. Look for the brown signs pointing along pedestrian pathways from the car park to the Museum entrance. 
• The pathways to and from the main car park to the Museum are all on level ground and wheelchair suitable.
• See Arriving at the Museum below for more details.
• See Getting around the Museum for information about:
  • Lift and access to galleries  
  • Accessible toilets 

• Mobility scooters are welcome in the Museum. Please be aware that some corridors and doorways in the Museum are narrow and may be challenging for some users.

• Our staff are trained to support visitors with hidden disabilities.
• If you have an issue relating to your hidden disability when visiting the Museum, speak to a member of Museum staff at the Reception Desk in the Gift Shop.

Museum entry

• Advance tickets are not yet available for museum entry. 
• There may be queues at peak times when visiting the Museum of Land Speed. Therefore, if you need to skip the queue because of your accessibility needs, we can facilitate payment by phone in advance. Please call the Museum during opening times to arrange payment and let us know when you intend to visit. As you arrive, you will be able to skip the queue to pick up your ticket from a member of our team.
• People with disabilities can purchase concessions tickets for admission to Dylan Thomas Boathouse and the Museum of Land Speed.
• An access companion ticket can be purchased free of charge.

Event tickets

• Event tickets should be purchased in advance. A link to the booking page will be available on the relevant event page.
• An access companion ticket can be purchased free of charge for all events.
• See a full list of exhibitions and events at CofGâr. 

Events and exhibitions

• You can book to visit one of our current or upcoming events and exhibitions.
• There is an access section on all event and exhibition pages that lists access information and resources, such as:  
  • The exhibition layout
  • A map with the event and/or exhibition location
  • A large print guide
  • Information about quieter times to visit.

Galleries

• You may like to plan which galleries to visit. See a list of all Museum galleries.
• See a map of the Museum galleries.

• There are three accessible parking spaces close to the main entrance of the Museum and three accessible parking spaces in the Tywi Valley Path car park outside the Park wall.
• View a map of the Museum car parking areas.

• Service, assistant and emotional support animals – including assistant dogs in training – are welcome at the Museum.
• Your assistance animal should remain under your care and control throughout your visit, ideally on a leash.  
• Where possible, dog owners should bring their Assistance Dogs (UK) identification book (or the appropriate international equivalent) and animals should wear the appropriate tabards or harness, but these are not a requirement for entry.  
• If your assistance animal is not a dog, please contact the Museum team at info@cofgar.wales before your visit to avoid disappointment on the day.

• Mornings from 10.00–11.00 when the Museum first opens.
• Late afternoon from 15.00. 
• January and early February, as well as November and December, tend to be less busy.

Busier times

• The middle of the day is usually the busiest time in the Museum and at Stacey's Kitchen.
• Our busiest times are weekends, school holidays, and bank holidays.
• View our What's On page to see if anything is happening during your visit that might make the Museum busier.

• We encourage all visitors to consider sustainable forms of travel to visit the museum.
• The Museum has one entrance on the west side of the building behind the cafe and Parc yr Esgob visitor centre.
• For a map and to learn more about getting to the Museum, view our Visit page.

Lift

• View the location of the lift on the Museum map.
• The lift in the Museum is wheelchair accessible and has button controls.

Gallery access

• All galleries at the Museum are wheelchair accessible. 
• Please be aware that some galleries contain steps in some areas (such as the pews in the Chapel).

• View the locations of accessible toilet and baby changing facilities on the Museum map.
• There is an additional accessible toilet in the Parc yr Esgob building, between Stacey's Kitchen and the Parc yr Esgob Reception Desk.

Features of all accessible toilets

• Pull-cord alarms that signal the Visitor Services team.
• A flashing light to indicate when the building is being evacuated.
• Standing support and handrails. 

Baby changing facilities

• See our Families page for details of our baby changing facilities.

• Seating is available in most galleries around the Museum and in the Bishop's Park and Stacey's Kitchen.
• Most seating in the Museum consists of chairs. Some bench seating is available in the Create, Commission, Collect gallery and stools are available in the Discovery gallery.

Walking sticks and folding stools

• You're welcome to use walking sticks or folding stools with seat attachments, provided they have rubber stoppers.  

Lighting

• Light levels vary across the Museum.  
• Some rooms are dimly lit to preserve the exhibits or because of historic light fittings.  
• Others have natural or bright lights.  

Spaces with natural light

• Commemorate gallery
• Discovery gallery
• Create, Commission, Collect gallery
• Mining gallery
• Yr Hen Gegin

Spaces with low light

• Victorian school room
• Y Capel
• Yr Hen Gegin (when the weather isn't sunny)

Temperature variations

• The temperature varies as you move through the Museum and some galleries and spaces are quite cold.  
• You may want to bring an extra layer of clothing when visiting outside summer.