What is ADA seating and how do I purchase it for my event?
Updated
ADA seating refers to seating which is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The ADA is one of America's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life -- to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services.
Most venues are required by the above act to provide adequate seating for those with disabilities, such as those in a wheelchair. Several are also able to accommodate visual and hearing impairments. As such, Etix has two built-in methods to ensure these seats are provided clearly. Both will typically appear on the event sales page when you are selecting your event tickets.
The first is to mark the ADA seating specifically in our seat selection key, pictured here:
If a seat is designated as “Accessible” on the seat map, this means it is able to accommodate a standard sized wheelchair and is available to be purchased by those who require it. These do not include a physical seat more often than not, but Etix recommends contacting the venue directly for specific ADA information whenever possible.
The second is the “Special Seating Accommodations” form for those venues that prefer to sell their ADA seating via their box office by request as well as to assist with other needs, such as being seated near the sign language interpreter to ensure proper accommodations are made. The form can be reach from the same event sales page by clicking the link pictured below:
Please Note: Filling out this form does not guarantee accommodation can be made for your purchase and in some cases, the accessible seating has already sold out which is common the closer it is to the date of the event.
Venues choose to only sell their ADA seating on-site via their box office to ensure proper accommodation and some choose to name the seats themselves “ADA” or “WC” to denote the location of their accessible seating, so always check the available seating prior to requesting accommodation from one of the above forms.