Statement of Commitment
The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art aspires to provide accessible space and programs. For the Gallery this includes physical, intellectual, cultural, and economic accessibility. We are committed to making visitors, staff, and volunteers feel welcome and comfortable.
The Bill Reid Gallery has made significant efforts to increase physical and economic accessibility to its programs. We acknowledge that we are not able to accommodate every need, however we are working with Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods to identify actions to be a more welcoming space for visitors with visible and less visible disabilities.
The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art is committed to:
- Working with community partners and accessibility organizations to continually review accessibility within the facility and identify potential barriers to participation
- Providing ongoing training for staff and volunteers to ensure visitors are treated with dignity and respect
- Making accessibility a priority in development of exhibitions and programs
- Incorporating investments in accessibility in annual budgets
Below is access information to help guests plan for their visits to the Bill Reid Gallery. We welcome questions and feedback on our accessibility measures. Please contact Alecska Divisadero by email at operations@billreidgallery.ca or leave a voicemail at 604-682-3455 extension 225.
Download the Access Points to the BRG Guide
Accessibility for the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
Physical and Sensory Accessibility
We are located at 639 Hornby Street (between Georgia Street and Dunsmuir Street) in downtown Vancouver. Hornby Street is a one-way street that runs north, with a two-way bike lane. One bike lock is available on Hornby Street on the opposite side of the street from the Gallery.
The Gallery is located near accessible transit. It can be accessed via SkyTrain from the Canada Line’s City Centre Station located in Pacific Centre or the Expo Line’s Burrard Station.
Transit - the closest bus lines are listed below:
- The 02, 05, 44 and R5 on Burrard Street, approximately 1 block away from the Gallery entrance;
- Buses 209, 210, 211, 214, 240, 241, 246, 247, 250, 253, 254, 257 on Georgia Street;
- 04, 07, 10, 14, 16, 050 on Dunsmuir, and 19, 22 on Pender St, approximately 2 blocks away.
The Gallery has underground paid parking available for all visitors, open 7 days a week from 6 am to 7 pm.
Entrance and exit are located on Hornby Street. On parkade level P1, there are 3 accessible stalls, and an elevator that gets you into the tower across the courtyard from the Gallery. There is no access to the Gallery’s elevator from the parkade.
Shuttles can drop off passengers at the Loading Zone located on West Georgia Street between Hornby and Burrard Street (for flat access), or on Burrard Street (for stairs access).
The Gallery has a wheelchair accessible flat and level path located between Christ Church Cathedral and Cathedral Place on Georgia Street. This takes you through the courtyard and to the Gallery entrance. A grey plaque with directional signage for this route is at street level on Hornby Street.
The entrance to the Gallery has an automatic door swinging outward and the admissions desk has a lower section for visitors with mobility devices. We also have 2 courtesy manual wheelchairs available for guests to use, one of which has footrests.
Aisles in the Gallery shop are a suitable width for people in wheelchairs. The exhibition spaces have ample space for people with mobility devices, however there may be difficulty in maneuvering in some areas of the Raven’s Trove Gallery.
The Gallery has three levels, including the washroom level. The exhibitions at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art are on the main and upper mezzanine levels. There is an elevator in the Gallery to take you to each level.
An accessible and all gender washroom with grab bars and wheelchair clearance is located on the bottom floor level below the exhibition levels, and accessible via the elevator. There are also two gendered multi-stalls bathrooms accessible via stairs.
In case of emergency/evacuation, there are three refuge areas for wheelchair users: One at each stairwell on both ends of the upper mezzanine level; one at the ground level around the elevator.
The Gallery has a variety of seating available for public use including benches, low stools, and armchairs. Strollers are permitted in the Gallery.
Certified service animals are welcome.
There is seating available in areas with reduced stimuli in the Hummingbird Gathering Space on the upper mezzanine level for visitors that experience overstimulation, fatigue, exhaustion, distress, or are in need of a quieter space for any reason.
The main floor Gallery has large windows for natural light while the upper mezzanine gallery uses fluorescent lights.
Most artwork labels and other signage have colour contrast to increase visibility. Our exhibitions do not have tactile or braille signage for blind or low vision visitors. Elevator buttons include braille.
We ask that visitors please refrain from touching artworks.
Temporary exhibitions may have artworks that protrude and are not white cane detectable. Gallery staff can indicate to visitors which areas these artworks are located in the Gallery.
Exhibitions may also include video content without closed captioning and that may contain flashing lights and/or rapid images. The Gallery is not a scent free environment. Some materials used by artists may have scents (e.g. hide tanning). Smoking/vaping is prohibited in all Gallery facilities and within 6 feet of any entrance.
Visitor Services staff are present and willing to assist. All staff have received disability awareness training.
Financial Accessibility
The Gallery reduces barriers to participation by offering free admission for Indigenous people, SFU students, children under 12, and attendants of disabled visitors. We also offer reduced admission rates for seniors 65+, families, students, and youth ages 13-17. The Gallery accepts payment in cash, cards, contactless methods, and online. Admission tickets can be bought online in advance.
The Gallery offers free admission for all visitors on the first Friday afternoon of each month and for Indigenous Peoples Day, thanks to sponsorship from the Downtown Business Improvement Association.
Language Accessibility
All written didactics, signage and audio pieces are in English, with Indigenous languages and fonts included for specific exhibitions.
Online events and programs usually provide auto-generated captions and transcripts in English.