Tracking Accessibility Requests

Hey there,

We're looking at how we track requests for accessibility accommodations and how we share this information with FOH staff and are able to reference previous requirements for new orders.  I'm wondering if any has a great way that they're tracking:

-Ongoing accessibility requirements for a patron (i.e. permanently uses a wheelchair)

-Temporary Accessibility needs (i.e. in a cast and need accommodations while in cast)

If anyone would like to share how they're tracking this in Tessitura, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,

Justin

  • We issue a detailed Customer Service note and then we pull that info into an Attendance report that our House Manger pulls each night.
     
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    Laura Kirk | Director of Audience Services
    David Geffen School of Drama at Yale | Yale Repertory Theatre |
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  • We add a customer service note into the patrons account, and tie it to each performance in the season. For each performance we print the performance customer service log for the house managers, which list these issues for them.

  • We also have this need.  We have a CSI system in place but it is set-up on a per performance need. Which is good for those people not always needing special accommodations or who don't attend often. For that it works well -- if a CSI is filled out then we just need to pull the Customer Service Issue Tracking report. 

    But we are now also looking to mark those accounts who do have ongoing needs. (we don't want to create 18 CSI's)

    So I can help with the per-show bases ADA reporting but unsure about the reporting for knowing when those people who always needs specific accommodations attends.

  • we currently are discussing this too, "people who always need specific accommodations". We use CSI per performance, but have started to investigate how to report on/auto notate patrons who always require any accessible accommodations when they attend.

  • Justin,

    What we do is a system developed over trial and error over years, but it seems to work pretty well.  It took a long time to get to this point and there were plenty of ups and down to it, but I will try to outline where we are now and how it tends to work.

    • Firstly, for identifying patrons with disability needs in general, we have an ADA Constituency we apply to their account.  Since constituencies have start/end dates, these can either be open ended (e.g. for someone who is blind and has an animal who will always attend with them) or closed (e.g. for someone who is using a wheelchair due to broken legs).  For the closed ones, the date is usually simply applied as the day after the day of their performance.
    • Secondly, since a constituency is simply a marker on the account with dates, a research note of a specific ADA type is added to the account.  This is where the specifics as to what accommodations are necessary are outlined.  Have a large scooter and need additional seats removed, seeing eye dog, can sit in any chair but needs assistance getting to/from, etc...  That way, anyone who looks at the account sees the ADA constituency and then goes to look at the note to see exactly what the situation is, and thus the Box Office can assist in seating requests when taking orders easily.
    • Lastly then, for performances, as background, from almost the beginning, the Box Office has always provided what we call a "Show Sheet" for the Front of House staff.  This has many things on it like closed sections, ticket counts, start/intermission times, etc...  We then got the idea to simply put a place at the bottom for ADA needs.  This "Show Sheet" used to be a Word Template that the Box Office Supervisor for the evening would fill out.  They would run a list of ADA constituencies who had tickets for that evening's shows, look at the accounts, see what was needed and add the requisite information to the Show Sheet so that FOH staff could make the necessary adjustments in the hall/let the ushers know/etc...
      • This Show Sheet has since been turned into a simple custom report by me that they can just pull and print out, but the infrastructure there is all based on the above.

    Not sure what in there might help anyone else, but this is our sort of "system", and it has worked well for us.

    John A. Moskal II

  • We have some guidance in this help topic on constituent accessibility tracking. Like John mentioned, we recommend constituent notes and offer some ways to output that information.