Accessiblity

BAM is committed to making our campus and our programming welcoming and accessible to all patrons. If there is anything we can do to make your experience at BAM as accessible to you as possible, please let us know. Contact us at accessibility@BAM.org or 718.636.4100 with any questions, suggestions, or for additional information.


Entrances | Tickets & Seating | Restrooms
Elevators | Accessibility Devices | Captioning, Supertitling, and Subtitling
American Sign Language | Audio Description | Relaxed Performances

VENUE ACCESSIBILITY

Entrances

The locations of accessible entrances for all of our buildings are indicated in the maps above. They are as follows:

• Peter Jay Sharp Building, which includes the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and The Adam Space (BAMcafé): 112 St Felix Street. The entrance is located on St Felix Street between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place. It is the first door on your right when you turn the corner from the Peter Jay Sharp Building front steps on Lafayette Avenue and walk down St Felix Street. The entrance is not numbered, but it is viewable on Google maps.
• BAM Strong, which includes the Harvey Theater: 651 Fulton Street, main entrance.
• BAM Fisher, which includes the Fishman Space: 321 Ashland Place, main entrance.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to repairs, the lift within BAM Rose Cinemas will be out of operation for several days beginning May 14, making cinemas 3 and 4 inaccessible to customers who use wheelchairs or walkers. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we continue working to make BAM an accessible space for everyone. Please contact (718) 636-4100 for more information.

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Tickets & Seating

All of our venues are ADA accessible. Wheelchair accessible seating is designated by icons on the seating chart for each production.

The following seating locations are wheelchair accessible:

• BAM Howard Gilman Opera House: The back of every level of the house. Please note, on the orchestra level, there is a 1:6 ramp that leads to the front of the theater.
• BAM Rose Cinemas: The last row of each cinema. All four cinemas are accessible via an ADA lift operated by the cinema manager. For any questions, or if you wish to reserve a companion seat, contact us at BAMcinemamanagers@BAM.org or 718.636.4100. You can also let the usher at the entrance to the cinema know upon arrival and they will inform the manager.
• Harvey Theater at BAM Strong: Row N of the orchestra section (between the upper and lower sections of the orchestra) and Row G of the balcony (the rear row of the balcony).
• BAM Fisher, Fishman Space: Seating configurations and accessible seating locations vary by production, and seating is primarily general admission. Contact us at accessibility@BAM.org or 718.636.4100 for more information about specific productions or to share your accessibility needs.

Tickets for ADA accessible seats can be purchased in person, by phone, and online. For general admission events, contact BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or accessibility@BAM.org to share accessibility needs. For film events, email accessibility@BAM.org or BAMcinemamanagers@BAM.org. All attempts will be made to address accessibility needs. However, if possible, please reach out 48 hours in advance of an event in order to ensure your request can best be received and processed.

BAM has select seating available for larger-bodied patrons, including a limited number of bariatric chairs. BAM Ticket Services can provide dimensions of seating and options for our range of theaters upon request.

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Restrooms

Accessible restrooms are available in all of our buildings. The Peter Jay Sharp Building—which houses the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and BAM Rose Cinemas—has accessible restrooms on all levels. All restrooms at the BAM Strong and the BAM Fisher are accessible via elevator.

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Elevators

The Peter Jay Sharp Building, the BAM Strong, and the BAM Fisher have elevators for full access to all public spaces.

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ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES AND INITIATIVES

Accessibility Devices

BAM offers both infra-red assistive listening headsets and neck loops at all of our live events performed in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, and Fishman Space in the BAM Fisher. They are available for loan with a photo ID; please inquire at coat check in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, or with any member of theater management in the BAM Fisher. The neck loops are compatible with T-Coil technology.

• Headsets that amplify the audio of films, available upon request.
• Sony closed-captioning glasses*
• Descriptive audio track with on-ear headphones*

*Available at select film presentations upon request. Contact us at accessibility@BAM.org or 718.636.4100 for a listing of screenings that offer Sony closed-captioning glasses and descriptive audio tracks. Audience members are welcome to use their own wired headphones with a standard 3.5mm jack. Please note, there is no Bluetooth compatibility and our cinemas are not currently equipped with T-Coil technology.

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Captioning, Supertitling, and Subtitling

Open captioning is offered at select in-person live events. When available, captioned performances are listed on the individual production page. Captioning placement is dependent on the theater and individual production.

As much as possible, films shown at BAM feature four open captioning screenings per week, listed on the individual film pages. Please note, open captioning screenings are primarily available for newly released films. Unfortunately, captioning files are not typically available for films from smaller distributors or in non-digital formats like 35mm and 16mm.

Live captioning is typically available for virtual events, and closed captioning for re-released videos. Unless otherwise noted, live captioning is human-generated.

Performances and films in languages other than English typically feature supertitling or subtitling, which is noted on the individual program pages.

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American Sign Language

American Sign Language interpretation is offered at select live events at BAM. When available, services are noted on the individual program pages and in related communications.

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Audio Description

A descriptive audio track is available for select films, primarily new releases. The track is audible through a BAM-provided headset, which can be requested at the cinema box office or cinema entrance. Contact us at 718.636.4100 or accessibility@BAM.org to inquire if this feature is available for the screening you would like to attend.

BAM has recently begun to offer audio description for select performances; this option will be listed on individual performance pages when available. If you are blind or have low vision and would like to inquire about audio description availability for an upcoming performance or if specific seating would best enable you to experience BAM programming, please contact us at 718.636.4100 or accessibility@BAM.org.

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Relaxed Performances

To better support the needs and enjoyment of neurodiverse audience members, select BAM Education and BAMkids presentations feature relaxed performances. Modifications include elimination of blackouts and sudden theatrical cues; maintaining moderate house lighting through the performance; lowering the overall volume of sound elements; allowing for audience vocalization and movement; and allowing for patron exits and entrances whenever needed, with the option to view a live-feed of the show in a separate, relaxed environment.

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