All meeting hotels have accessible lobbies with at least one entrance with auto-slide doors; door-service personnel are available at other entrances. Thresholds and doormats comply with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. Lobbies have marble floors and/or low-pile area carpeting. Elevators connect all levels of each property. Each elevator has a wheelchair-accessible keypad. Elevators either have audible announcements or Braille numerals beside each control button. Restrooms in lobbies and on meeting room floors are wheelchair accessible and have tactile signage.
All hotels have accessible registration desks or provide clipboards to guests to complete registration documentation. All hotels have accessible guest rooms. The number of such rooms at each property is noted below. Among other amenities, these rooms feature wheelchair-accessible doors, lever door handles, security peepholes, ample room space, grab bars in restrooms, low sinks with insulated pipes, accessible towel racks, and accessible mirrors. The following auxiliary aids are available at most properties: flashing fire alarm, doorbell, and telephone; vibrating alarm clock; closed-caption decoders; Braille signage; and TDD telephones. Additional information about accessible sleeping rooms is available through Maritz, the AHA’s housing service.
Hilton Chicago
Parking: The self-parking garage has a height of 6’3” and the valet garage has a height of 8 feet.
Entrances: Automatic doors are available at the Balbo Street Porte Cochere entrance. The historic Michigan Avenue entrance and 8th Street entrance are not equipped with automatic doors. Bell staff are available to assist
Meeting Rooms: All meeting rooms of the historic hotel are accessible via ADA lifts or elevators. Consult the hotel map for details. A direct elevator to the International Ballroom and Salons C and D is located on the lobby level near the Buckingham Room. The lower level is accessible via the main elevator bank, as are all other meeting levels. Salon A can be accessed from the lower level via a ramp or an ADA lift. Salon C is accessible from the lower level via wheelchair lift or by taking the elevator to Salon D and entering Salon C through the double doors. The Continental and Boulevard rooms are accessed via ADA lifts.
Restaurants: All of the restaurants are located on the lobby level.
Other Amenities: The fitness center is accessible via ramp.
Palmer House Hilton
All areas of the facility are wheelchair accessible. Electronic doors are located at all main lobby entrances. All elevators are equipped with Braille signage, however, they do not have audible direction. Additionally, restrooms and drinking fountains are ADA accessible.
Parking: Self-parking has ADA spots available.
Meeting Rooms: All rooms and floors of the historic hotel are accessible. Consult the hotel map for the elevator that serves a particular room. There are ADA lifts for wheelchairs in the Honoré and Empire Ballrooms. All other areas are accessible by elevator or ramp.
The hotel has 11 elevators in the main bank that service the street level through the 23rd floor. There are also three elevators in the State Street bank that service between the street level and the 11th floor. Use the State Street elevators to access the Salons on the third floor and the Chicago, Price, and Buckingham Room on the fifth floor. Accessible transfers between the main elevator bank and the State Street elevator bank are located on the street level, the sixth floor, the seventh floor, and the eighth floor.
Restaurants: The restaurants have ADA seats available.
Other Information: There are ADA lifts for the pool and fitness center.
Blackstone Hotel
Entrances: The hotel’s entrance on Michigan Avenue and the eastern entrance on Balboa Drive are accessible
Parking: Accessible self-parking off-site or in the Hilton Chicago garage via validated ticket.
Accessible Transportation
Wheelchair-accessible, ADA compliant taxis are available through DispatchChicago’s Centralized WAV Taxicab Dispatch Service, managed by CURB (call 1.888.928.2227, download the CURB app).
The public transportation system in Chicago is accessible. Details are available at transitchicago.com/accessibility.
All trains and buses and 108 of 146 rail stations are accessible. Railcars feature braille signage, LED signage, priority seating, wheelchair securement areas, and auditory announcements. Stations feature audio and braille fare machines, wheelchair accessible gates, braille signage, elevators, tactile platform edging, and gap boards for gaps in the platforms. CTA maintains a list of accessible stations and elevator outages. Bus stops feature auditory schedule announcements and the vehicles announce route information. Buses are equipped with ramps, priority seating, and wheelchair securement areas.
SuperShuttle has wheelchair-accessible vehicles and can provide assistance with prior notice and reservation. For information about these services or to book a reservation, contact:
Scooter rentals are available by contacting ScootAround (888-441-7575).
Service Animals Welcome
The American Historical Association is committed to making the annual meeting accessible. Service animals are welcome at all events, sessions, and venues. The ADA protects the right of people with disabilities to be accompanied by trained service animals in public places. Remember, not all disabilities are visible and service animals are not required to wear special equipment or tags. Service animals are working and should not be distracted without permission.
Health and Safety
The AHA and our meeting hotels are working together to follow public health best practices to make meeting attendance as safe as possible. We expect that all attendees will have been vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time of the meeting (and received a booster if possible). Attendees should comply with all health and safety rules and guidelines established by the AHA, the CDC, the conference hotels, and the local government. Masks are welcome for those that wear them. See historians.org/ampolicies for the latest information.
Fragrance
Please help us to accommodate attendees who are sensitive to fragrances by refraining from wearing scented products.
Sign Interpreting
Attendees with hearing impairment who will need sign-interpreting service must notify the AHA and register for the meeting by November 1, 2025. The request should include the sessions they plan to attend. The AHA will secure the services of appropriate interpreters. The AHA will assume the cost for up to nine hours of sign language interpreting service per attendee.
An interpreter may also be provided upon request for the presidential address (Friday, January 9) and the annual business meeting (Saturday, January 10).
Assistive listening devices are also available on request.
Please contact annualmeeting@historians.org by November 1, 2025, to request an interpreter or assistive listening device.
Other Resources
US Department of Transportation’s Traveling with a Disability