Ed Zwilling Sept. 8, 2015
I've been getting a lot of complaints about this issue lately. Ever tried to buy accessible seating positions for a concert or a sporting event online? Ever get a message that requires you to call for accessible seats or a message that you will get a call back or an email within 24 hours? Unless everyone has to call or wait up to 24 hours to purchase tickets, that's a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If typical ticket purchasers can choose a seat and put a ticket in an online shopping cart for immediate check out, then people who require accessible seats are required to be afforded that same opportunity.
Here's the DOJ link: http://www.ada.gov/ticketing_2010.htm.
In a nutshell, from the foregoing link:
Venues are required to sell tickets for accessible seats in the same manner and under the same conditions as all other ticket sales.
Tickets for accessible seats must be sold:
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during the same hours;
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through the same methods of purchase (by telephone, on site, through a website, or through third-party vendors); and
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during the same stages of sales (pre-sales, promotions, general sales, wait lists, or lotteries) as non-accessible seats.
When a venue provides tickets to a third-party ticket vendor, including Internet-based vendors, the venue must include comparable tickets for accessible seats. Once third-party ticket vendors acquire tickets for accessible seats, they are obligated to sell them in accordance with the Department's ADA requirements. If the venue fails to provide any tickets for accessible seats, the third-party vendor is encouraged, but not required, to contact the venue to obtain tickets for accessible seats. Similarly, if the venue provides unsold tickets to a "discount" or "half price" ticket outlet, it must also provide tickets for accessible seats, if such seats are available.
Also, accessible tickets are required to be sold at the same price as other seats in the same seating section. There can be no surcharge added to the accessible seating positions.