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Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State

Accessibility

We’re committed to making the arts accessible to all patrons.

Contact the Arts Ticket Center, at artstix@psu.edu or 814‑863‑0255, for your accessibility requests.

Penn State encourages people of all abilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Arts Ticket Center in advance of your participation or visit.

If you would like to view auditorium seating before attending a performance to help anticipate accessibility needs, contact Audience Services Manager Kelly Kaiserian at kvk2@psu.edu or by calling 814‑865‑4727.

For information about Access Fund ticketing programs, contact Customer Service Supervisor Keith Brainard at kab248@psu.edu or by calling 814‑865‑5011.

Accessible Seating

Accessible seating is available in all venues. A number of appropriately located seats have been reserved for patrons with various differences and levels of ability. 

A wheelchair is available in Eisenhower Auditorium to assist patrons from the drop-off area to their seats by calling 814‑863‑2335 upon arrival.

Alternative Media

Publications are available in alternative media upon request.

Large-print

OnStage performance programs are available in large-print format at each performance. Visit the Audience Services desk in the lobby to pick up a copy.

Braille

Braille performance programs must be requested in advance. Contact the Arts Ticket Center three weeks before the performance via email at artstix@psu.edu or by calling 814‑863‑0255 to request a copy. It will be waiting for you at the Audience Services desk in the lobby when you arrive to the performance.

ASL Interpretation

American Sign Language interpretation is available for select performances and educational activities, or upon request. Contact the Arts Ticket Center via email at artstix@psu.edu or by calling 814‑863‑0255 to discuss ASL seating preferences.

Assisted Listening

For hard-of-hearing patrons, Eisenhower Auditorium is equipped with an infrared listening system. Visit the Audience Services desk in the lobby for assistance in using this service. Recital Hall has a radio-frequency transmitter system. Ask an usher for assistance.

Audio Description

Audio description — available at no extra charge to ticket holders — offers live verbal description of the visual elements of selected performances. Especially helpful to patrons with varying degrees of sight-loss, audio description can also assist with information processing for people of all learning abilities. The service’s trained audio describers use a transmitter and microphone to relay a pictorial description to patrons wearing earpieces attached to palm-sized receivers. Audio description clarifies details and provides background information, but it doesn’t interfere with other key audible elements of a performance.

This service is available with advance request. Call the Sight-Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania at 814‑238‑0132 to make a reservation at least two weeks before the event.

Sensory-Friendly Accommodations

The Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Auditorium is a KultureCity-certified sensory-sensitivity inclusive venue. Sensory inclusivity is a practice that ensures a welcome and accommodating experience to visitors of all levels of sensory need. Prior to arriving for an event at Eisenhower, families and individuals can download the free KultureCity app for Android smartphone or iPhone. The app provides information on the available sensory features and where to access them, as well as the pre-visit social story.

pre-visit social story provides a visual preview of what to expect when attending a performance at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Upon arrival, items are available at the Audience Services Desk in Eisenhower Auditorium lobby, including a KultureCity Lap Pad and KultureCity Sensory Bags. The bags are equipped with noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and VIP lanyards.

A small quiet-seating area is located on the Eisenhower Auditorium lounge level. Directions to the space will be available in the social story and available at the Audience Services Desk. You may go directly to the space on your own, but if assistance is needed, please ask an usher. The performance is not viewable from this space, however the sound from the stage will still be audible. Lights in the room can be adjusted on a dimmer switch.

Contact Audience Services Manager Kelly Kaiserian at kvk2@psu.edu or via phone at 814-4727 for information about viewing the auditorium seating at least one week before a performance.

Parking

Eisenhower Auditorium

Patrons with limited mobility may be dropped off in front of Eisenhower Auditorium at the Eisenhower Road pull-off near the intersection with Shortlidge Road. A wheelchair is available to assist patrons from the drop-off area to their seats by calling 814‑863‑2335 upon arrival.

ADA-accessible parking spaces are available on all levels of the Eisenhower deck and in the Yellow F surface lot across Eisenhower Road from the deck. ADA-accessible parking during Center for the Performing Arts presentations at Eisenhower is also available in the lot between Eisenhower Road and Tyson Building. State-issued disability parking placards are required for access to the ADA-accessible parking spaces.

Recital Hall (in Music Building I)

For presentations at Recital Hall, patrons with limited mobility may be dropped off in front of Forum Building on Curtin Road.

ADA-accessible parking spaces are available in the East and Nittany decks. State-issued disability placards are required for access to the ADA-accessible parking spaces.