Information for Disabled Visitors

Find information on access and parking, toilets, hearing assistance, medical facilities, wheelchair hire and dedicated ticket lines. If you have any queries or need assistance during your visit, please contact any member of staff who will be happy to help. We hope you enjoy your visit. Access & Parking

All public concourse levels of The NIA are accessible to wheelchair users, via ramps or lifts. Tactile signage is fitted in all lifts at The NIA. Assistance Dogs are welcome at our venues, however we do recommend that they are not brought to concerts or other loud events.

For Health and Safety reasons we are unable to allow wheelchair users onto the Arena Floor during standing concerts.

For Health and Safety reasons we are unable to allow people with crutches or walking sticks within the seating areas. They are only permitted within the disabled accessible areas.

For vehicles displaying blue badges, parking is free of charge. There are designated parking bays on Level 11 (The NIA Main Entrance is on Level 11) of the South car park, situated off Sheepcote Street. If these parking bays are full, please park on any car park level which has an odd number, where a lift will take you to Level 11 for the Main Entrance. Additional parking is located on level 9 of North car park, off King Edwards Road.

Disabled visitors arriving in vehicles over 2m in height (Minibuses or Ambilifts), will be directed to the Olympian Suite entrance via the VIP ramp situated off Sheepcote Street. Here visitors can disembark, and traffic officers will then direct the vehicle to the nearest parking bay. Please advise Box Office if travelling by Ambilift.

If you are arriving by car or taxi, but do not require parking, use the VIP ramp situated off Sheepcote Street. Access to The NIA is via the Olympian Suite entrance, vehicles then exit via the ramp.

If travelling by public transport, access to The NIA is either by the Olympian Suite entrance or by AF4 door situated off King Edward's Road.

Please check your tickets for the door open time, and arrive in plenty of time. The NIA can be extremely busy before the start of a concert or event.

Community Hall is wheelchair accessible. Community Hall car park is situated off St. Vincent Street where there are designated car parking bays. For vehicles displaying blue badges, parking is free of charge.

Hearing Impairments

An induction loop system is operational in selected seating areas, which can be linked to visitors hearing aids. Customers wishing to utilise this system should inform The Box Office, when purchasing tickets and should contact a steward on arrival at the venue in order to be supplied with the appropriate equipment.

Telephone 0844 581 0700

Dedicated Telephone Ticket Line

All visitors with disabilities attending concerts are advised to call our Dedicated Ticket Line for disabled visitors on 0844 581 0700 when booking tickets. Our dedicated ticket line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Please inform us at the time of booking if you need a wheelchair space or have any special requirements, so that we can arrange for everything to be ready on your arrival. We will also help you find the most convenient seating for visitors with visual impairment.

Assistance dogs are welcome at our venues, but owing to sound levels involved, we recommend that you do not bring Assistance Dogs to concerts or other loud events.

Medical Facilities

The NIA has an on-site Medical Centre with qualified nursing staff. If you require a private area for personal care (eg private changing facilities), please contact our Medical Centre on 0121 200 2202 in advance of your visit in order to discuss your particular requirements.

Medical Emergencies

In the event of a medical emergency please notify a member of Security or any member of staff who will be pleased to help you. Alternatively, call the Medical Centre on 2222 using the internal telephones located inside the main venues.

Wheelchair Hire

If you need a wheelchair and have your own, please bring it with you. We only have a very limited number of manual wheelchairs available for hire free of charge. We strongly advise visitors to pre-book equipment to avoid disappointment by telephoning 0121 200 2000 ext 47106. For any visitors who do not pre-book, remaining stock will be issued on a first come first served basis. Certain restrictions apply however:

Please note that wheelchairs are for use inside the venue only and cannot be taken to car parks. Please note that the intended use of hire wheelchairs is as a shuttle service to your seat from the main entrance and back again. Unfortunately, we cannot allow visitors to keep hire wheelchairs for the duration of the event.

Toilets

The NIA has unisex accessible toilets. These are located by the entrance to Block 2 (next to the Medical Centre) and the entrance to Block 8, both of which are controlled by the is a RADAR key. Please contact one of the stewards in the area for the use of a RADAR key. In addition, within the ladies and gents toilets there are dedicated accessible cubicles, which are signposted accordingly. Community Hall has accessible toilets. There is also a toilet in both the male and female changing rooms for disabled visitors.

Help us to improve our service:

An in-house committee meets regularly to address services for disabled visitors, and regular audits of our building are undertaken in respect of access. If you have any suggestions or comments you wish to make, please advise a member of staff. Alternatively, write to:

Visitor Liaison Manager,
Visitor Experience Department,
The NEC,
Birmingham
B40 1NT