Chicago wheelchair accessibility guide

Every CTA bus has a wheelchair ramp on board, deployed on request at any stop. Buses kneel at the kerb when needed. Front-row seating folds up for wheelchair tie-downs. On the L, more than 70 percent of stations have a step-free route to the platform via elevator or ramp, and the All Stations Accessible Program is closing the gap year by year. Plan around accessible stations using the official CTA system map.

Pace operates more than 130 fully accessible fixed bus routes across the suburbs, and the same operator runs the region's ADA paratransit service. Paratransit fare is 3.25 dollars per trip with no trip cap, the service covers everywhere within three-quarters of a mile of any CTA or Pace fixed route, and reservations must be made the day before. Riders must be certified by the RTA first.

Wheelchair-accessible taxis (WAVs) are dispatched centrally by CURB. Call 1-888-WAV-CABS (1-888-928-2227) or use the CURB app to request a WAV. Chicago is one of the few US cities where you can request both a WAV taxi and a WAV ride-hail vehicle. Curb cuts are present at almost every downtown crossing thanks to the city's ADA Sidewalk Ramp Program.

The Art Institute of Chicago has ramp entrances on both Michigan Avenue and the Modern Wing on Monroe Street, with free manual wheelchair loans at both checkrooms. Willis Tower Skydeck is fully ADA-compliant with ramps, accessible elevators, and an accessible Ledge. Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium share the lakefront Museum Campus, all three with step-free routes and accessible restrooms on every level.

Millennium Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Navy Pier are all free to enter. Millennium Park is paved throughout, the Crown Fountain was designed without edges so wheelchair users can fully participate, and the BP Pedestrian Bridge has a gentler slope than the ADA requires. Lincoln Park Zoo rents both manual wheelchairs and electric scooters at the Searle Visitor Center. Navy Pier provides complimentary wheelchairs at its Guest Experience desks.

The Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier accommodates a wheelchair inside its enclosed gondolas. The 360 CHICAGO observation deck has a dedicated ADA entrance on Delaware Place rather than the main Michigan Avenue lobby, and ramps run the full 360 degrees around the deck. The Museum of Science and Industry is now officially the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, with step-free entry from the underground garage and elevators to every floor.

The Chicago Cultural Center on East Washington is free, ticket-free, and fully accessible from Garland Court at Randolph Street, with loaner wheelchairs at the lobby security desk. The Chicago Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles along the south bank of the river from Lake Michigan to Lake Street, level the whole way and designed to be universally accessible.

The city's Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities runs the central accessibility portfolio, with a stated goal of making Chicago the most accessible and inclusive city in the world. CDOT typically installs more than 7,000 ADA-compliant curb ramps per year. Non-emergency accessibility issues (broken kerb ramps, uncleared sidewalks, signal complaints) go through 311 by phone, web, or the CHI311 app.

The US pattern is different from Europe: most Chicago museums charge full price for disabled visitors, but the standard benefit is a free personal care assistant ticket for a paid guest. See the full table on the disability-discounts page below.