Patrons with Special Needs
The Cleveland Orchestra is strongly committed to making our facilities and performances accessible to all patrons. The information presented here is to assist persons with disabilities, their companions, and families to that you can have a safe and comfortable experience — at Severance or Blossom Music Center.
If you would like to request assistance for an upcoming concert, please contact the Severance Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141 or create a request using the button below.
Submit assistance requestTickets for Accessible Seating
Special seating options are available for mobility-impaired persons and their companions and families. There are seating locations that are wheelchair-accessible and scooter-accessible, where patrons can remain in their wheelchairs or transfer to chairs. At the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall, aisle seats with removable armrests are also available for persons who wish to transfer.
Tickets for wheelchair-accessible and companion seating can be purchased by phone, in person, and online (via this website).
For online purchasing, when hovering over seats in the Select-Your-Own-Seat option, information about ADA seating is displayed for wheelchair locations, companion seats, and transfer seats with removable armrests. These designations are also available as selections in the "Best Available" mode. Alternatively, you can specify your accessibility requirements when purchasing tickets in person or by phone through the Severance Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141.
At Blossom Music Center
Wheelchair Access & Seating
The venue's seating has reserved special areas for those attending with the use of a wheelchair. These options are available during your seat selection. Ramps afford additional access to the venue and wheelchair seat locations (accessible sidewalk routes are noted on the venue map). Uniformed staff are available to assist.
Companion Wheelchair Seating
Additional seating is reserved for those attending with a companion.
Restrooms
ADA-accessible restrooms are located throughout the Blossom Music Center grounds.
Service Animals
Trained guide and service dogs are welcome at Blossom Music Center. If you have any questions, please contact the Ticket Office or the House Manager.
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning assistance can be provided for concerts featuring a film.
At Severance
Accessible Parking
A limited number of handicapped parking spaces are available in the CWRU Campus Center Garage, adjacent to Severance. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis for vehicles displaying a DMV handicapped parking hangtag or license plate. Early arrival is encouraged, because these spaces fill up. Regular parking rates apply, including the option of prepaid parking available through the Ticket Office by phone, in person, and online.
Access to the Building
There is barrier-free entry to Severance with automatic sliding doors at our garage arrival entrance on Lower Level One in the CWRU Campus Center Garage. This is reached from the driving ramp entrance to the garage. There is an elevator for wheelchair access in the center of the garage for traveling from Lower Level Two (the lowest level) to Lower Level One (the level of our arrival entrance). The Euclid Avenue entrance to Severance is best suited for wheelchair entry, with a convenient drop-off area designated at the curb.
Way Finding in the Building
Way-finding signage is located throughout the building, on the walls, and in free-standing stanchions (venue map). Wall signs are also in Braille.
Wheelchair Loans
As a courtesy, Severance provides wheelchairs to assist patrons to go to and from their seats. Patrons can arrange a loan by calling the House Manager.
Elevator Service
A self-service elevator is located at the garage arrival entrance to take patrons to the street level (Level 1) or ground floor, opening to the Lerner Lobby. From the street level, a self-service elevator off the other end of the Lerner Lobby is available to take patrons to special events in the Taplin and First Energy Rooms and the Ginn Suite.
Severance’s historic patron elevators operate from the street level in the Smith Lobby to provide access to Orchestra, Box, and Dress Circle seating areas. These elevators are operated by staffpersons. All elevators are wheelchair accessible. Steps in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall must be navigated to get to non-ADA seating areas.
Accessible Restrooms
All Smith Lobby restrooms are fully accessible. In addition, private family-accessible restrooms are located in the Smith Lobby and off the Dress Circle Lobby.
Accessible Drinking Fountains
Accessible drinking fountains are located at the entrances to restrooms in the Smith Lobby.
Assistance for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Infrared Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are available without charge for most performances in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall at Severance. Please request one in advance online or by calling the House Manager’s office. You will be asked to provide a driver’s license or ID card upon arrival, which will be held until the return of the device. Head Ushers can explain how to use the ALD.
Interpretive services may be available for certain events at Severance. Prior arrangements should be made four weeks in advance. Appropriate seat locations may be necessary.
TTY line access is available at the public pay phone in the Security Office located at the garage entrance.
Assistance for the Blind or Persons with Low Vision
Large Print Programs are available for most Cleveland Orchestra performances at Severance. These are available at the Coat Room locations or from Head Ushers on each level of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall, and at Concert Previews.
For select vocal performances, Braille texts may be available on request with 2 weeks’ notice.
Service Animals
Trained guide dogs and service animals are welcome in Severance. If you have any questions, please contact the Ticket Office or the House Manager.
Emergency Procedures
In the event of an emergency evacuation, a trained member of the Severance staff will assist you.
Website & Technology
The Cleveland Orchestra strives to make its digital experiences (websites, mobile apps, etc.) accessible to our guests. In order to meet the various needs of our online and mobile users, our digital experiences (including this website) are designed and developed with best practices & principles towards better accessibility, including (but not limited to):
- Accessibility services are listed on every event page on this website, for in-person events at Severance and Blossom Music Center, respectively.
- Content & navigation elements adhere to a logical hierarchy, both visually and on a front-end design level.
- Actual text (as opposed to text in images) is used throughout all layouts and the user interface (adaptable to font scaling and readable by screen readers).
- Descriptions (alt tags) are available for static images.
- Heightened contrast ratios (4.5:1, per WCAG AA guidelines) are strived for in both dark and light color schemes.
- Browser-based page elements adhere to semantic integrity (i.e. headers, buttons, forms, lists, etc.) so that assistive technology can better distinguish them and their purpose to the user.
Accessibility Assistance. If you have difficulty using or accessing any element of this website or on any Cleveland Orchestra mobile app or tool, please feel free to call us at 216-231-7300 or email us at webpatrons@clevelandorchestra.com and we will work with you to provide the information, item, or transaction you seek through a communication method that is accessible for you consistent with applicable law (for example, through telephone support).
Our Goal of Being Better For All.SM The Cleveland Orchestra desires to provide a positive customer experience to all our customers, and we aim to promote accessibility and inclusion. Our goal is to permit our customers to successfully gather information and transact business through our website. Whether you are using assistive technologies like a screen reader, a magnifier, voice recognition software, or captions for videos, our goal is to make your use of The Cleveland Orchestra’s website a successful and enjoyable experience.
Actions. We are taking a variety of steps and devoting resources to further enhance the accessibility of our website.
Ongoing Effort. Although we are proud of the efforts that we have completed and that are in progress, we at The Cleveland Orchestra view accessibility as an ongoing effort.
Feedback. Please contact us if you have any feedback or suggestions as to how we could improve the accessibility of this website.