(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The United States Justice Department has announced a settlement agreement with Ticketmaster, Inc., the world's largest ticketing company, to make services more accessible for people with disabilities. Ticketmaster serves more than 8,000 venues worldwide and acts as the exclusive ticketing service for hundreds of leading arenas, stadiums, performing arts venues, and theaters.
Under the agreement, Ticketmaster agents will be available during all hours its system is operational (approximately 22 hours a day) to enable customers to purchase accessible seating via telephone and e-mail. Ticketmaster has also agreed to improve communications with customers so that customers are promptly informed when it has sold its inventory of accessible seating and whether additional seating might be available directly from the venue; streamline the process for customers with disabilities seeking to purchase more than one seat for companions; work with venues to implement procedures to maintain the inventory of unsold accessible seats until two weeks prior to the event and only if all general seating is sold out; and designate a Disability Coordinator. Ticketmaster will also continue its efforts to develop a system to sell accessible seating directly on its website.
"We commend Ticketmaster for taking a significant step toward improving access to the world of live entertainment for people with disabilities," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "These new ticket selling practices will eliminate many of the barriers that individuals with disabilities experience when trying to purchase tickets online or by phone. We intend to continue our work with Ticketmaster and others in the industry to ensure that individuals with disabilities will have the same opportunities to purchase seats for their favorite entertainment."
