Project upgrades include Auracast™ assistive listening technology, a main-floor ramp connecting the north and south lobbies, and updated elevators.
The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) announces the completion of a comprehensive two-year facility accessibility renewal project. As the University’s home for the performing and cinematic arts, DPAC has long prioritized facility and technology projects to remain a welcoming and innovative arts presenter. By reducing physical and sensory barriers inside the building, leadership and staff championed improvements to ensure that stunning, touching, and informative experiences are accessible to everyone who enters the center. A multi-year investment strategy enabled the completion of priorities in advanced venue audio technology, improved internal building access, and elevator modernization.
Hearing and Mobility Accessibility Improvements
This season, patrons may look forward to requesting new and upgraded Auracast™ assistive listening devices (ALDs), available without advance request in all venues except the Reyes Organ and Choral Hall. Auracast™ is an industry leader known for its Bluetooth broadcast audio that streams clean and clear venue audio directly to patrons’ enabled hearing aids, cochlear implants, or personal earbuds. The center will continue to offer its universal ALD options. Traditional T-coil neck loops and standard headset receivers remain fully supported and available for patrons with or without hearing aids or smartphone app access.
Perhaps the most-requested accessibility upgrade, a new ramp now joins DPAC’s north and south lobbies. When facing the south lobby, the design splits the former full-width set of stairs into a one-turn interior ramp on the left and a gently curving set of stairs on the right. Space planning accommodated the center’s request for built-in bench seating for gathering. The additions provide an intuitive, mobility-aid-friendly path through the building to the South Lobby and directly to the main-floor venue doors.
In 2024, as the center’s aging two-lift elevator bank became pressing, the complete replacement of the public elevator system became the anchor of DPAC’s broader two-year commitment to welcoming patron amenities and physical accessibility.
Executive Director Ted Barron said, “The heart of these recent projects is right in our mission, that ‘we warmly welcome all audiences to transformational experiences.’ There have been very real barriers to patrons and visitors fully enjoying our beautiful public spaces. That’s why my team and I are incredibly fortunate to have had the University’s support and expertise in helping us solve these challenges, the ramp being the most complex. As audiences and guests join us this season, we hope they’ll find it easy to enter, engage with others, and the art around them, regardless of physical ability.”
Assistive Listening and Multi-Level Access
Patrons attending an event in main-floor venues may request an ALD at Coat Check located in the North Lobby. For presentations in the Browning Cinema, patrons may request an ALD from the usher staff stationed at the venue. Usher staff are trained to help determine what assistive listening accessories are needed if connecting to the Auracast™ system.
Main-floor venue access is now completely step-free with the new permanent ramp, allowing patrons and visitors using mobility aids to navigate the center’s lobbies without assistance. The center’s twin elevator bank now features separate call buttons, reducing wait times and a common point of confusion under the old system. Before, a single call button frequently required staff assistance as guests could board the wrong car, unaware that the two elevators served different levels. This intuitive upgrade and floor-designation signage help visitors avoid wrong-way trips and streamline the arrival experience.
The left elevator serves the Main Mezzanine, Upper Lobby, and Upper Mezzanine, providing access to main-floor venue doors for the Leighton Concert Hall, Patricia George Decio Mainstage Theatre, and the Reyes Organ and Choral Hall. The Upper Mezzanine provides access to the Leighton Concert Hall balcony. The right elevator serves the Upper Lobby, providing access to the Browning Cinema and the Patricia George Decio Mainstage balcony.
DPAC ushers will warmly welcome everyone and guide them to the correct venue and the entrance nearest to their ticketed seat.
