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New initiatives make Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum more accessible

More opportunities for families and schools on tight budgets

Continuing its “Abe for All” initiative, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will take more steps in 2024 to welcome people, no matter what their physical abilities or financial status.  This includes more options for families on a tight budget and financial assistance for some schools.

Families in need can visit the ALPLM through the national Museums for All program, which offers reduced admission prices to people who qualify for food assistance.  A person with a valid SNAP/EBT card can visit the ALPLM for just $3 and bring three family members at the same price.  This offer is good year-round.

Museum admission will be free for everyone on February 10 and 12 to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday, on June 19 for Juneteenth and the ALPLM’s annual display of the Emancipation Proclamation, and on November 19, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.

In addition, children ages 5 - 12 will be admitted for a dollar each, rather than the usual price of $6, on February 17, March 16, April 20, and May 4, when the ALPLM will be hosting a special exhibit called The Questioneers: Read. Question. Think. PLAY!  Children ages 4 and under always get in free.

The ALPLM is launching a pilot program to help pay transportation and admission costs for schools if they are within 250 miles of Springfield and at least 51 percent of their students are from low-income households.  Funds are limited, and qualifying schools will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis.  The deadline to seek assistance for visits in July, August or September is April 30.  For other deadlines and details on how to apply, visit bit.ly/alplmschoolvisits.

“President Lincoln’s legacy belongs to us all.  We want to make it as easy as possible for people to visit his presidential library and learn more about what he did for America,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Admission will also be free on two special afternoons.

On March 3, World Hearing Day, the museum will have sign-language interpreters from 4 to 6 p.m. to assist visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Admission will be free for all during those two hours.

It will also be free from 4 to 6 p.m. on April 2, when the museum will be adjusting lights and sounds and offering other accommodations for people with sensory-processing difficulties.  Other sensory friendly events are scheduled for July 28 and Nov. 3, but regular admission will apply on those days.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.  We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.  You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.