Accessibility on Broadway

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 10:45am

Hello, 

I tried searching and couldn’t find much of the thread on this so I apologize if I missed one.

Due to a brain tumor that crushed my optic nerve I now have some severe motion problems. From a distance, everything is very blurry, because my eyes can’t seem to focus on a point. So in order to enjoy anything, I need to have a decent close up seat, or at least be downstairs in a smaller house. I have found that many theaters offer discounted accessible seats for wheelchair users, but absolutely no discount for no vision needs. For example, I just called to inquire about waiting for godot and the low vision seats that they are holding, on a random, low sold Tuesday night in early November are over $500 each. 
 

does anyone know why they don’t offer? Any kind of accessibility for people with vision needs in the city? I’m really at a loss here. When I go to London, everything is discounted through the access scheme. It’s a great failure of our industry. And I don’t understand why people with low vision needs, are the ones who are being excluded.

 

Apologies for my rant and complaining, but I’m curious to know if anybody has insight on this issue.

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 11:24am

I have not checked everything on Broadway. But I see the Jeff Ross show offers seats for low vision patrons. 
I understand it may not be the show you would like to see.

I’m not surprised if Godot does not offer seats for low-vision audience.  call me cynical if anyone wants, but ATG is super greedy in my opinion. 

 

I feel London Theatres are more accessible in general. It is much more affordable and their refund / exchange policies are also much more flexible, in addition to your point that they offer accessible seats for people with different needs. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 11:30am

I want to say I've heard of people getting low vision seats on Broadway before, but you might have to call the box office to explain your situation so they don't really make it easy.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 12:50pm

Yeah, I tried calling. They do save rhe low vision, but no discount. So they’re basically offering new premium prices. Meanwhile, wheelchair seats are discounted. I don’t understand the difference, as they’re both disabilities.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 1:03pm

Does anyone know why they don’t offer any kind of accessibility for people with vision needs in the city?

Most Broadway shows offer seating for low vision. But the accessibility of Broadway theaters and discounts for those seats are two completely different things. Why do you think they should cost less? I'm just curious. 

Updated On: 8/22/25 at 01:03 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 1:18pm

Sutton Ross said: "Does anyone know why they don’t offer any kind of accessibility for people with vision needs in the city?

Most Broadway shows offer seating for low vision.But theaccessibility of Broadway theaters and discounts for those seatsare two completely different things. Why do you think they should cost less? I'm just curious."

Well... because you don't have an option of sitting further back in this poster's sake and still be able to see anything at all. Disabilities are disabilities across the board. If you're not charging premium prices for mobility related disability seats, I don't think legally they can charge premium prices for vision related disabilities. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 1:37pm

Sutton Ross said: "Does anyone know why they don’t offer any kind of accessibility for people with vision needs in the city?

Most Broadway shows offer seating for low vision.But theaccessibility of Broadway theaters and discounts for those seatsare two completely different things. Why do you think they should cost less? I'm just curious."

A great deal with people with disabilities have less flexibility with their spending because they’re paying for medical care, or other needs to ease their life. In England, there’s an access scheme where people with disabilities provide a doctors note and then they can get discounted tickets. This is infected almost every theater in the UK. we don’t have something like that here.
 

However, mobility issues that require accessible seating are discounted by Broadway theaters. For example, I took my father who has mobility issues to see Buena Vista Social Club. Our tickets were around $60 each and mid-orchestral. However, there is no discounted rate for someone like me, who has a vision disability. For Godot, there are accessible seats around $122 for mobility disabilities. But the low vision seats being held are over $500 at the same performance.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 1:41pm

TheatreFan4 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Does anyone know why they don’t offer any kind of accessibility for people with vision needs in the city?

Most Broadway shows offer seating for low vision.But theaccessibility of Broadway theaters and discounts for those seatsare two completely different things. Why do you think they should cost less? I'm just curious."

Well... because you don't have an option of sitting further back in this poster's sake and still be able to see anything at all. Disabilities are disabilities across the board. If you're not charging premium prices for mobility related disability seats, I don't think legally they can charge premium prices for vision related disabilities."

Correct. If I were not in the $500+ low vision seats, but the balcony seats I CAN afford, everything would be a blurry, snowy white for me except the audience seated in front of me. My eyes have a convergence issue thanks to the damage to my optic nerve and they cannot focus on anything distant. After about thirty minutes of it, I get a terrible migraine and sometimes a little dizzy. 
 

And I would have thought the same thing, but I have discovered the difference for these accessible needs at Operation Mincemeat, Buena Vista, Gypsy, Old Friends and now Waiting for Godot. It is maddening. 
 

however, I wanna shout out the Park Ave Armory because they give me an access rate for any show. I wanna see there. I can get a front row seat for the lowest price point that they’re offering. They have been incredibly kind and have only expanded the accessibility since I first asked about it a few years ago.

[sassylash3s]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 1:56pm

I’ve worked in ticketing and what I was told (and a cursory google search seems to confirm) is that the ADA has a lot of requirements regarding the availability and pricing of seats for patrons with mobility impairments, but has no such requirements for seating for patrons with visual impairments.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 2:15pm

Gotcha. Broadway needs to do better regarding ADA everything, honestly.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 3:32pm

sassylash3s said: "I’ve worked in ticketing and what I was told (and a cursory google search seems to confirm) is that the ADA has a lot of requirements regarding the availability and pricing of seats for patrons with mobility impairments, but has no such requirements for seating for patrons with visual impairments."

That is so sad and so frustrating. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to miss this one, though I adore the play.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 3:33pm

Sutton Ross said: "Gotcha. Broadway needs to do better regarding ADA everything, honestly."

Yeah, it’s pretty maddening and it’s been a real misery the last year and a half since this happened. I think the theatre is becoming more a source of sadness than joy these days

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 8/22/25 at 6:04pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "Sutton Ross said: "Gotcha. Broadway needs to do better regarding ADA everything, honestly."

Yeah, it’s pretty maddening and it’s been a real misery the last year and a half since this happened. I think the theatre is becoming more a source of sadness than joy these days"

just like how this country has become - nothing like what the Hollywood movie depicts it to be 

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 9:35am

iluvtheatertrash said: "sassylash3s said: "I’ve worked in ticketing and what I was told (and a cursory google search seems to confirm) is that the ADA has a lot of requirements regarding the availability and pricing of seats for patrons with mobility impairments, but has no such requirements for seating for patrons with visual impairments."

That is so sad and so frustrating. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to miss this one, though I adore the play."

I have a friend who is visually impaired (almost blind) and still watches plays. Since she can't really see, she's ok sitting anywhere in the theater but one thing she must use is audio description. It's a free service at the theater where in one ear you listen to someone giving you a description of what is happening onstage. Please give that a try.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 9:43am

Wick3 said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "sassylash3s said: "I’ve worked in ticketing and what I was told (and a cursory google search seems to confirm) is that the ADA has a lot of requirements regarding the availability and pricing of seats for patrons with mobility impairments, but has no such requirements for seating for patrons with visual impairments."

That is so sad and so frustrating. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to miss this one, though I adore the play."

I have a friend who is visually impaired (almost blind) and still watchesplays. Since she can't really see, she's ok sitting anywhere in the theater but one thing she must useis audio description. It's a free service at the theater where in one ear you listen to someone giving you a description of what is happening onstage. Please give that a try."

I have tried it. If I wanted to listen to the radio, I could do that for free. The point of this is that vision disabilities are being ignored by the industry while people with mobility disabilities are receiving discounted seats.

[sppunk]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 12:14pm

I am legally blind and attend 20-25 shows a year. I bring a monocular and sit as close as I feel comfortable paying. It’s just part of life unfortunately I’ve lived with for my 40+ years of earth. 

Same at football, baseball or basketball games. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 3:59pm

sppunk said: "I am legally blind and attend 20-25 shows a year. I bring a monocular and sit as close as I feel comfortable paying. It’s just part of life unfortunately I’ve lived with for my 40+ years of earth.

Same at football, baseball or basketball games."

But it shouldn’t be. If mobility needs are eligible for a discount, why are vision needs not? Why do we, in 2025, not have an accessibility scheme? And why do we just accept it and “pay what we feel comfortable paying” instead of speaking out?