The Scottish Parliament: - Visiting Holyrood - Information for Disabled Visitors

Information for disabled visitors leaflet The Scottish Parliament has produced an access guide that aims to help disabled people who are visiting the Holyrood building. This means all disabled people - invited as guests, casual visitors, watching parliamentary business or taking a tour.

Click on one of these links to view the leaflet in full:

You can also view a British Sign Language video:

Information for Visitors (Windows Media Video)

To order printed copies of the guide - or copies in formats such as Braille, audio or British Sign Language - please complete the relevant section of the Publications Order Form or contact the Public Information Service.

General information

The Parliament building has been designed to be fully accessible for disabled people.

For visitors who are wheelchair users or who have a mobility impairment, the Scottish Parliament has:

Level access to all areas of the new building
Fire-proof lifts from the visitors' gallery to ensure that disabled visitors can be evacuated quickly and safely should the need arise
Reserved space in the public gallery of the Debating Chamber for wheelchair users
A free wheelchair loan service for people whilst they are visiting the Parliament building,
Accessible toilet facilities throughout the building, including some larger facilities with space for an assistant and changing bench, and
Carpets with a short, dense pile to assist wheelchair users

For visitors who are Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deafblind, the Scottish Parliament:

Has fitted induction loop and infra-red sound enhancement systems in all of the main working areas of the Parliament
Has its own textphone number (0131 558 7676)
Welcomes calls using the Text Relay service from textphone users to any of the Parliament's voice telephone numbers
Has produced information about the Parliament in British Sign Language on video (copies available on request or videos can be viewed on our website)
Can interpret proceedings into sign language if a member of the public requires this service to understand what is happening at a committee meeting or meeting of the Parliament, providing the member of the public requests this service sufficiently in advance,
Can provide other forms of communication support (e.g. a speech-to-text reporter, lipspeaker, etc.) if a member of the public requires this service to understand what is happening at a committee meeting or meeting of the Parliament, providing the member of the public requests this service sufficiently in advance.

In addition, as it may be of use to British Sign Language users who visit the Parliament building, a video containing guidance on the fire evacuation procedure can be found below.

Fire evacuation procedure - British Sign Language (Windows Media Video)

For visitors who are blind or visually impaired, the Scottish Parliament has:

Provided clear signage throughout the Parliament building, incorporating the use of Braille
Produced a range of written information materials in Braille and audio tape formats
Selected appropriate colours for the interior design of the building to aid visually impaired users of the building,
Provided a tactile map of the new building, which incorporates Braille, in the public exhibition area.

A small number of public parking spaces are reserved for disabled people on Horse Wynd. More information on how to find the Parliament building is available in our "how to find us" section.

The Parliament also welcomes visitors with guide dogs or other assistance dogs.

The Parliament is also currently producing a range of easy-to-understand publications about the building and how the Parliament works. These publications should be of particular benefit to many individuals with learning disabilities or learning difficulties, as well as to anyone else who would like this information.

We want to do everything we can to ensure that everyone is able to visit the Scottish Parliament. If you have any specific access requirements in relation to your visit, please contact us. It would be very helpful if you could contact us as far in advance of your visit as possible to make sure that we have enough time to make any necessary arrangements.

Contact Visitor Services to arrange a visit