Handicap Seats Question

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 5:03pm

So I am looking for tickets for Hadestown and the date I am l;ooking at, pretty much all that is left is handicap seating, I know the Kerr does their handicap seating as removible, so my question is, if those are the only seats remaining, but I am not handicapped can I still buy them or is their some rule?

Updated On: 3/30/19 at 05:03 PM

[jbp1232]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 6:09pm

My understanding is that you cannot buy accessibility seating without a disability. If you were to add them to your cart it would include a confirmation that you need accessible seating. If those seats don’t sell they will most likely be rush tickets or made available to the general public online closer to the show day.

Updated On: 3/31/19 at 06:09 PM

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 6:12pm

I will say that the above poster is wrong - they are not allowed to question whether you have a disability or not because some disabilities aren’t so easily seen (IE being in a wheelchair).

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 7:31pm

I'd only buy them if you also park in handicap designated parking spots.

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 9:16pm

Updated On: 8/15/21 at 09:16 PM

[Sugar78]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 10:28pm

It was for a different show, but the last time I bought an accessible ticket, they actually called me a couple days later to confirm I'd be staying in my wheelchair the entire time. I don't know why I wouldn't, so it seemed like a weird thing to ask, but I wondered if maybe that was their way of following up to make sure I had a legitimate need for it. This was for a wheelchair space rather than an aisle transfer seat. I'm not in town so I don't get to see many shows, but that's the first time I've ever been called about it. Also, it's accessible, ADA, or disability seating. H-cap is antiquated and offensive to many of us.

[dumphim]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:46pm

They're ADA seats for a reason. If you need ADA locations, great, they're for you. If you want them because they're "better seats" or a "better price", you're potentially taking them away from someone who needs them and taking advantage of accessibility seating. You can sit in 99% of the theatre on any given day and they might not. Theatre should be available to as many people as possible, and purchasing ADA seats when you don't need them sounds pretty unethical imo

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:54pm

people missed the point, my question wasnt hey i want cheaper seats, my question was the accessible seats are the only seats left for the performence I am looking at 

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:58pm

If they are not sold by the performance date, they can sell you them very close to curtain.  Until then, they are reserved for people with disabilities. 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:10am

Sugar78 said: "It was for a different show, but the last time I bought an accessible ticket, they actually called me a couple days later to confirm I'd be staying in my wheelchair the entire time. I don't know why I wouldn't, so it seemed like a weird thing to ask, but I wondered if maybe that was their way of following up to make sure I had a legitimate need for it. This was for a wheelchair space rather than an aisle transfer seat..."

In the Golden Gate Theater in SF, the main row for ADA seating is a mixture of standard seats on low platforms and flat wheelchair spaces next to them. Not all seating in all ADA areas consists of moveable chairs. In this case, it would be reasonable to inquire to ensure that you would be seated in a flat wheelchair space. Both for allocating an appropriate seat beforehand - but also during and before the performance. Many, if not most ADA patrons may wish to transfer from their wheelchair, scooter, walker or whatever. At the time of seating, the usher needs to potentially arrange or remove the patron's device or a removable chair - and for wheelchairs and the like, stow them appropriately and to return them at curtain (and perhaps intermission).
There are many types of disability and knowing about an audience member's needs can help in setting up the best experience for all.

 

Updated On: 3/31/19 at 12:10 AM

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:02am

LightsOut90 said: "people missed the point, my question wasnt hey i want cheaper seats, my question was the accessible seats are the only seats left for the performence I am looking at"

A few days out, they will convert from accessible to regular seating and then you can buy them... but that is up to the theater to decide when that is, not for patrons to figure that patrons with accessibility issues had enough time to buy them.

Also, Telecharge typically will call you if you buy them and will confirm you need accessible seating, and many of the seats are wheelchair seating where the seat will actually be removed if you purchase it. And the seat next to it is for a companion, so while there is a seat there, it is not meant to be purchased unless you are with someone with accessibility needs.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 4:40am

We didn't miss your point at all. Unless you are disabled, those seats are not for you. As another poster said, the theater might change their designation, but it is up to them.

I suppose you could CALL telecharge and inquire about that possibility.

[haterobics]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 11:18am

Since I watch them on both sides of the equation (debating taking my grandmother to a show in a wheelchair and how late can I decide, or using them to grab last-minute seats to well-attended shows), these tickets are usually automated and flip to regular seating on a very predictable schedule. That schedule can usually be discerned by watching upcoming performances and seeing if and when it happens...

[ackieboy2]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 1:14pm

As someone who has a disability and a legitimate need for ADA seating, I can tell you that if the seats are not sold at the last minute the box office will sell them.  However, the idea of someone trying to buy them in advance in order to obtain better seats at a better price as has been stated before on this thread is repugnant and is an insult to those of us who have a pressing and legitimate need for these types of accommodations. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:42pm

ackieboy2 said: "However, the idea of someone trying to buy them in advance in order to obtain better seats at a better price as has been stated before on this thread is repugnant and is an insult to those of us who have a pressing and legitimate need for these types of accommodations."

literally no one has said that 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:48pm

From ada.gov:

Generally, tickets for accessible seats may not be sold to members of the general public who do not need the specific features of accessible seats. However, in three specific circumstances, unsold accessible seats may be released and sold to members of the general public:

• when all non-accessible seats have been sold (excluding luxury boxes, club boxes, suites, and seats the venue holds back when declaring a sell-out); or
• when all non-accessible seats in a particular seating section have been sold, unsold accessible seats in that section may be released; or
• when all non-accessible seats in a particular price category have been sold, unsold accessible seats in that price category may be released.

Venues must select only one of these options for declaring a sellout for an event. Another option may be selected for a different event. However, venues are not required to release accessible seats and may choose to hold back all or a portion of the remaining accessible seats.

 

Updated On: 3/31/19 at 02:48 PM

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 3:02pm

As an example, the first 4 performances of Fairview, in June, were very close to selling out. As availability dwindled, all the accessible seats were eventually converted to standard. Of course, it varies by venue and ticket seller, and, as others have said, Ticketmaster waits until much closer to the show date.

Updated On: 3/31/19 at 03:02 PM

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 3:11pm

Also from ada.gov, this is the method that almost all ticket sellers use to prevent abuse:

Venues cannot require proof of disability as a condition for purchasing tickets for accessible seats. However, venues and third-party vendors may take steps to prevent the fraudulent sale and use of accessible seating. For single event tickets, venues may ask purchasers to state that they require, or are purchasing tickets for someone who requires, the features of an accessible seat. For series of events tickets, purchasers may be asked to attest in writing that they require, or are purchasing tickets for someone who requires, the features of an accessible seat. These steps may be used in all sales, including those over the Internet. Venues may also mark tickets to clearly identify that they are for accessible seats. Some venues include on tickets for accessible seats a message stating that, if the user of the ticket does not need the specific features of the accessible seat, the venue may require the ticket holder to move to a different, non-accessible seating location.

Venues may investigate the potential misuse of accessible seats where there is good cause to believe that such seating has been purchased fraudulently. Purchasers may also be warned that if accessible seating has been purchased fraudulently, they are subject to investigation and/or relocation. Providing additional information about the features of other types of seats (e.g., seats that can be accessed without steps, designated aisle seats, or seats located close to exits) may assist patrons to determine which type of seat meets their specific needs. Venues must not, however, use this process to steer patrons with disabilities to particular seat types or locations.