’s Mackay Stadium ADA Compliance

By: Joel Hernandez, Karina Chavez, Jordana Oseto, Hannah Nystrom, Claudia Agbor-Bessem, Rai Yana Anderson, and Cassandra Shebly of George McKinlay’s Disabilities class at the University of Nevada, Reno

People with disabilities sometimes live challenging lives but deserve equal access to enjoy life. As a society we must promote equality and demolish barriers to equal access. The University of Nevada is a beautiful 126-year-old Reno campus overlooking the Sierra Nevada and at the heart of its rich tradition rests Mackay Stadium. Mackay Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium; it is the home field of the football and track & field teams. Nevada Wolf Pack teams are fan favorites to win year-in-and-year-out. And many of those fans also include people with disabilities. For this project we decided to find out how accessible is Mackay Stadium.

About Mackay Stadium

It is located on the north end of the University of Nevada campus between 15th Street and 17th Street.

Mackay Stadium was completed in 1965 with a seating capacity of 7,500. The facility has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 30,000.

Of those 30,000 seats it is said that ADA seating is extremely limited in Mackay Stadium.

ADA Accessible Stadiums

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires new stadiums to be accessible to people with disabilities so they, their families, and friends can enjoy equal access to entertainment, recreation, and leisure.

There are accessibility requirements already in place for parking lots, entrances, and rest rooms, but stadiums have a few specific requirements that we will look at. Accessible Seating Policy

 The Wolf Pack Ticket Office offers ADA seating to be purchased both as season tickets and on a single game basis.  All ADA seats that are not sold as a season ticket will be open to the general ADA public to purchase as a single game ticket.  Patrons are allowed one wheelchair/disabled seat and up to three companion seats in an  ADA location per game. All tickets must be purchased.  ADA seats may be purchased in advance of game day at the Wolf Pack Ticket Office or over the phone.  ADA seats will also be available for purchase on game day at the ticket booths located on the North West and East sides of Mackay Stadium.  ADA seating is extremely limited in Mackay Stadium and . Please purchase your tickets early for events you are wishing to attend. Here is the Official Mackay Stadium Seating Map

The Light Blue sections are the Disabled Seating areas, which as you can see, are extremely limited.

We will examine just how compliant Mackay Stadium really is using the Federal governments ADA Stadium requirements, which can be found at www.ada.gov/stadium.txt End Zone ADA seating Our Findings Seating First of all Wheelchair accessible seating is required and it must at least 1% of the seating must be wheelchair seating locations. There is about 30,000 seats and 1% of that is 300, so there should rightfully be 300 Wheelchair accessible seating with at least one companion seat next to each them but there is not 300 ADA seats. Mackay does a good job with the companion seating as they allow up to three seats, when only one is required, and the ushers bring nice fold-out chairs for them.

Sky Box ADA seating Sky Box ADA seating Student Section ADA seating

Concessions All concessions, including food service areas, restaurants, and souvenir stands, must be accessible. For example, lowered counters must be provided where goods are provided and where cash registers are located. Condiments and self-serve food items must be provided within reach of a person using a wheelchair. Access to playing fields, lockers, and spaces used by players and performers

ADA Stand Lowered Counters at all main concessions ADA Stand with line Nevada does a good job with the concessions! The above pictures are from the Main Concessions stands, which were compliant, however we felt that the student section concessions needed some more work, as one of the main tables there was too high.

Student Section Stands Assistive Listening Systems When audible communications are integral to the use of a stadium, assistive listening systems are required for people who are hard of hearing. These systems amplify sound and deliver it to a special receiver that is worn by the spectator, or to the Spectators hearing aid, depending on the type of system that is used. The stadium must provide receivers for the assistive listening system. The number of available receivers must equal four percent of the total number of seats. Signs must be provided to notify spectators of the availability of receivers for the assistive listening system. Nevada provides Assisted Listening Devices, which are available for check-out in the administrative offices on the ground level. Photo identification is required. However they are for games and their website does not mention if they are available for Mackay Stadium spectators. We hope they do. Below are examples of Assistive Listening devices and signs.

Rest Rooms Each public and common use (including employee) rest room must be accessible. This includes rest rooms in work areas and rest rooms located in sky boxes and suites. Below are the main entrance restrooms. Nevada is fully compliant here and even has an ADA Only Restrooms in the Sky Box Sections.

Drinking Fountains Drinking fountains must accommodate people who use wheelchairs and people who stand but

have difficulty bending or stooping. Half of the units must be wheelchair accessible and the others must accommodate standing users.

All of Mackay Stadium’s fountains are accessible Accessible Parking Spaces

When parking spaces are provided, accessible parking spaces for cars and accessible parking spaces for vans are required. Accessible parking spaces must be the closest parking spaces to the accessible entrances and must be on an accessible route to the entrances.

Mackay provides most parking spaces on the third floors of West Stadium Parking Complex conveniently next to the Stadium but the Disabled spots are not so close on the first floor and are easier to find on the third floor. There is are Accessible Ramps from the Stadium Parking Complex to the Sky Box seating area and even an ADA Compliant Elevator.

Accessible Ramp to Sky Box Seating from West Stadium Parking Complex

Elevator to Sky Box Seating from West Stadium Parking ADA Only Elevator Sky Box Seating West Stadium Parking Sign Access

Non Accessible Ramp to Sky box Seating 2010 Sky Box Seating has since added more signs & accessible features Accessible Drop-Off and Pick-Up Areas If passenger drop-off areas are provided, they must be accessible and an accessible route must connect each accessible drop-off area with the accessible entrance(s). Curb ramps must

be provided if the drop-off area is next to a curb. Mackay Stadium does have some but we felt it could improve on these areas.

Accessible Entrances

At least fifty percent of the entrances must be accessible. Those that are not accessible must have signs that direct the public to Main Gate Entrance Drop-Off & Pick-Up Area the nearest accessible entrance. Accessible entrances that have turnstiles must provide an accessible gate or door.

Mackay Stadium is fully Compliant with almost every Entrance accessible.

Main Gate ADA Entrance Sign Main Gate ADA Entrance Main Gate ADA Accessible Entrance Accessible Routes An route must provide access to all public and common use areas including the playing field, locker rooms, dugouts, stages, swimming pools, and warm-up areas. The accessible route provides access for the public, employees, and athletes using the facility.

Nevada does a Excellent job with rotes but there is still room for improvements. All seating is accessible;

expect the skybox from the main gate entrance because of a steep hill without hand rails, there is a sign that says No ADA Access. We did not think it was fair to use a side gate and go around to the sky box, there should at least be accessible handrails but Mackay has done an amazing job making accessible routes.

Main Gate ADA Access Ramp to seats ADA Access Ramp to the field ADA Access Ramp to seating Other Accessible Features Besides having great routes Mackay Stadium offers elevators on the visiting side seating area and an ADA ramp to get to them. This is excellent addition to the Stadium and proves that they care about all their fans.

Elevator Sign ADA Access Ramp to the Elevator on the visitor side The Accessible Elevator on the visitor side

Signs Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces, such as those identifying rest rooms, exits or room numbers, must have Braille and raised letters or numbers so that they may be read visually or tactually (by feeling the characters with one’s fingers).

Mackay Stadium does a phenomenal job with posting signs but we did Not spot any Braille anywhere so they should add that to be fully compliant.

Visual Alarms What we did not find…

Where audible fire alarms or emergency notification Public Telephones is provided, flashing lights are required in public and common use areas, including toilet and bath rooms, Each bank of public telephones must have one or locker rooms, and along public corridors. more wheelchair accessible telephones and these and

other public telephones must have the ability to We did not spot any at Mackay Stadium but we are amplify the volume at the handset. A sign must sure that have some Emergence services and plans in identify telephones equipped with amplification. place.

At least one public TDD (telecommunications device Our Research showed that they have: During home for persons who are deaf orwho have speech football competitions, EMS will be stationed in the impairments) must be provided. Signs must identify Southwest corner of the stadium. the location of the TDD and provide direction from Officers from the University of Nevada police other telephone banks. department and the Washoe County Sheriffs’ For each bank of public telephones with three or more department as well as additional security personnel units, at least one telephone must be equipped with a will be stationed at every stadium gate to help keep shelf and electrical outlet to permit a person to use a fans safe and enhance the fan experience. Nevada also portable TDD. have an alcohol response team of highly trained individuals on hand to deal with problems as well as Why did not see any public phones or pay phones. additional volunteers to monitor the alcohol sales. Community/ Fan-Feedback One student in our group said we have all these handicap spaces but I have never seen anyone in a wheelchair come here, so we searched, only to find a gentlemen who is a season ticket holder and in a wheel chair. His name is Scott Youngs an employee of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and we sat down with him and this what he had to say. --

“As a user of a manual wheelchair since I was fifteen I have been lucky that I have the use of my upper body. I am pretty independent and dont need everything to be 100% accessible.

MacKay Stadium has been in a constant state of improvement since I came on campus in 1994. At that time there was only one wheelchair section on the east side with a very long, steep and non-compliant ramp to it. They also allowed folks to sit on the track, which was kinda cool. Since then they have built the West stadium skyboxes, and the parking garage. That greatly improved access from parking to additional seating. They have also added the elevator/lift on the East side but parking is not as close as it is on the West side.

I actually have very few issues with Mackay stadium other than needing a light in the accessible sani-hut during night games, and the lack of food vendors on the concourse of the West Stadium. Its a long ways to get a hamburger, but I think they actually have folks that would get you things sometimes.

But overall I think they still need more wheelchair locations to comply with the 1% of there 30,000 seats and there is no option to get a 50 yard line seat that is accessible. But dealing with an old stadium UNR has done a great job in trying to improve things.” Scott Youngs (far left) Scott Youngs Project Coordinator, ADA Nevada Nevada Assistive Technology Resource Center University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities MS 285 University of Nevada, Reno

Final Thoughts

Mackay Stadium has done an excellent job for meeting mostly all of ADA Stadium Standards. They are champions for equal access because their old stadium has been renovated many times over the last couple of years and they work with people like Scott Youngs to include people of all abilities to enjoy the Nevada Wolf Pack teams. In 2010, ESPN named Nevada 34 – Boise State 31 Over Time win the Game of the Year and it took place at Mackay Stadium. That was a game that you had to be there because the Nevada football team rallied back in the final seconds, and survived a miraculous late play, to beat the undefeated Boise State and knock them out of the BCS National Championship hunt. It is known as the Mackay Miracle and fans of all abilities should cheer comfortably knowing Mackay Stadium is ADA compliant.

Boise QB Kellen Moore after loss Boise K Kyle Brotzman missed FG Nevada QB Collin Kaepernick after Boise State win 34-31 OT