We have a limited number of disabled parking spaces available for blue badge holders to reserve in the courtyard of Burlington House. There is step-free access throughout the RA and wheelchairs and portable stools are available to borrow during your visit.

There are accessible toilets in Burlington House. Assistance dogs are welcome and our staff and volunteers receive regular training to ensure they’re confident welcoming disabled visitors.

To book a wheelchair or blue badge parking space, please contact our Ticketing team at 020 7300 8090.We recommend booking two weeks in advance of your visit.

We welcome guide dogs.

Large-print exhibition guides are available within all our exhibitions. They’re also available to download on the temporary exhibition pages on our website.

Audio guides are available for most of our exhibitions at the entrance to the galleries. They include a selection of audio described stops and are free of charge for blind and partially sighted visitors.

We have a regular programme of audio described tours and handling sessions to explore works on display in the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. We also offer creative art making workshops for blind and partially sighted visitors. Sighted companions and guide dogs are welcome. These events are free, booking is required.

See upcoming events.

Our trained Access and Community volunteers can provide one-to-one audio described tours of the exhibition, but please book this volunteer service two weeks in advance of your visit. You can book by calling 020 7300 5732 or emailing access@royalacademy.org.uk.

If you’re planning a visit and would like someone to assist you with a wheelchair or lend a supportive arm, then one of our Access and Community volunteers can assist you.

To book an escorted visit, contact the Access and Communities team on 020 7300 5732 or email access@royalacademy.org.uk. Please allow two weeks notice for your booking as this is a volunteer-run service.

We run a programme of early-morning private views that are inclusive for wheelchair users and visitors with mobility impairments.

See upcoming events.

Our visitor-facing staff are offered regular training in dementia awareness so that they’re confident in communicating and supporting visitors.

InMind is our programme of art sessions for visitors living with early to mid-stages of dementia and their carers, friends and family members. Each session is facilitated by four experienced artist educators and allows participants to choose between two discussion sessions focused on artworks from the RA Collection.

See upcoming events.

We welcome hearing dogs. We have an induction loop system in the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre. If you would like to use the loop system in the Lecture Theatre, please ask a member of staff upon arrival.

For exhibitions that are accompanied by an audio guide, transcripts are available upon request from the audio desk at the entrance of the exhibition.

Join our British Sign Language (BSL) exhibition tours and interpreted and speech-to-text transcribed talks to discover works on display in our Collection Gallery and temporary exhibitions. BSL-speaking hosts support these events.

See upcoming events.

We produce sensory maps and visual stories of our building and select temporary exhibitions to help plan for your visit. Sensory maps are also available to pick up at any ticketing desks.

Download a sensory map of our building.

Download a sensory map of Picasso and Paper.

Download a visual story of Picasso and Paper.

If you require a short sensory synopsis of an exhibition that doesn’t feature a relaxed opening, please contact 020 7300 5732 or access@royalacademy.org.uk.

We offer relaxed openings of our temporary exhibitions for visitors with autistic spectrum conditions, sensory processing difficulties, or neurodiversity. These early morning openings allow those who benefit from a quieter environment to see the exhibition outside the hustle and bustle of regular opening hours.

See upcoming relaxed openings.

At select family studios, we offer a Quiet Zone for those who may need a break from crowds or loud noises. We offer soft furnishings to help visitors feel comfortable. Ear defenders are available upon request.

See upcoming Quiet Zone events.

We regularly offer workshops for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These workshops are tailored to meet the requirements of each group and include multi-sensory engagement, object handling and art-making sessions. We offer workshops at the RA or at your school.

Learn more about our SEN school workshops.

For families with children with SEND, we also offer art-making workshops throughout the year. Led by an experienced artist educator, these workshops are tailored to the needs of the participants and volunteer support is provided.

See upcoming events

This programme is supported by The Lord Leonard and Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation.

The RA supports and celebrates the practice of creative practitioners facing barriers to the art world and disabled artists.

InStudio is our programme of creative workshops designed for groups working with young people and adults facing barriers to engaging with arts and culture. The workshops focus on a chosen RA exhibition. Groups of between 7-15 individuals are supported to explore and respond to artworks within the gallery and then guided to create their own artworks, in response to themes and techniques shown in the exhibition. Each workshop is tailored to meet the access requirements and preferences of the group.

See upcoming InStudio events.

We welcome disabled artists to present and share their practice with others at our InPractice events. At each event, up to 10 artists present their practice. If you are a disabled artist or someone with a creative practice that faces barriers to accessing the art world and you’d like to share your work with others then please contact our Access and Communities team on 020 7300 5732 or email access@royalacademy.org.uk.

If you would prefer to watch the presentation, or to support and appreciate others then please come along.

See upcoming InPractice events.

For more information on our Community Partners Programme, please contact communities@royalacademy.org.uk.