Portland’5 is dedicated to bringing arts performances to as many people as possible, including those who may need auditory, visual or mobility assistance. We go beyond mere compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to make sure all of our audience members have an exceptional experience.
Please select from the following options for additional accessibility information:
For Patrons and Visitors with Mobility Disabilities
For Patrons and Visitors who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
For Patrons and Visitors who are Blind or have Low Vision
For Patrons and Visitors with Sensory Needs
For Patrons and Visitors Using a Service Animal
For Patrons and Visitors with a Disability Discrimination Complaint
For Patrons and Visitors with Mobility Disabilities
Entrances
All of our buildings have accessible entrances, as well as elevators that operate between the street level and upper floors.
Accessible Seating
Portland’5 reserves accessible seating for patrons using wheelchairs and their companions, as well as for patrons who do not need a wheelchair space but require accessible seating. You can purchase wheelchair and accessible seating by phone, in person, and online.
Chair Size
Our seats are typical size theater seats measuring 17 to 18 inches between armrests. We do have several wider-width seats with a deeper seat and increased weight support. These seats are free-standing chairs with armrests and can be placed in most wheelchair accessible spaces. To inquire about a wider seat, please contact the Portland'5 Box Office.
For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility, please contact the Portland’5 Box Office at 503-248-4335 or email us.
Patron Drop-off Zones
Curbside drop-off zones are located in front of each building to allow patrons easy access to the theatres.
Courtesy Wheelchairs
Patrons who wish to transfer from a vehicle at the curbside drop-off zone to the theatre seating area may request a courtesy wheelchair from the Coat Checkroom of each venue. Portland’5 cannot provide staff to push wheelchairs; please bring a companion to collect the chair and move about the theatres.
We encourage you to notify Portland’5 in advance at 503-248-4335 for courtesy wheelchair access.
Accessible Restrooms
All theatre buildings have public restrooms that are wheelchair accessible. Companion care and non gender-specific restrooms are located in the Antoinette Hatfield Hall and Keller Auditorium.
Parking
Portland’5 does not own any parking facilities. However, designated accessible parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in regular on-street parking spaces and nearby parking garages/lots for vehicles bearing a valid Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) disability parking placard. Visit the venue specific directions & parking pages from the menus above for more information.
For Patrons and Visitors who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Assistive Listening Devices
Assistive listening devices (ALDs) amplify and clarify sound by cutting down or eliminating ambient noise. Portland’5 has installed assistive listening systems in all theatres. Individual headsets with a receiver are available, as are neck loops for use with hearing aids and cochlear implants with a “T” switch. Ask your audiologist whether your hearing aid or cochlear implant has a “T” switch (telecoil) and how to use it with an assistive listening headset or neck loop.
We distribute devices free-of-charge on a first-come, first-served basis with ID at the Coat Checkroom of each building.
Sign Language Interpretation
We schedule sign language interpretation for select events throughout the year. For information on events with ASL interpretation or to purchase tickets in the sign-interpreted section, contact the Portland’5 Box Office at 503-248-4335.
We also offer sign language interpretation upon request. You must request sign language interpreters at least 48 hours prior to the event through the Portland’5 Box Office at 503-248-4335 or email us. Requests are subject to the availability of an interpreter, and seating locations are assigned at the discretion of management.
Open Captioning
We schedule open captioning for select events throughout the year, including the Broadway in Portland performances. You can purchase tickets in the captioned section online or by contacting the Portland’5 Box Office by email or at 503-248-4335.
Open captioning uses a text display to provide a simultaneous translation of dialogue and lyrics during a live performance, as well as a description of any sound effects onstage. The service is available for anyone sitting in a designated area that allows a clear view of captioning on a screen. You do not need to bring your own special equipment. Because of this, open captioning is considered passive assistance and is part of the Universal Design concept, which means that it can be used by all people regardless of age and ability.
Portland’5 also offers captioning upon request. To caption non-designated events, you must submit a request at least two weeks prior to the event to the Portland’5 Box Office at 503-248-4335 or email. These requests are subject to the availability of a captioner, and seating locations are assigned at the discretion of the management.
For Patrons and Visitors who are Blind or have Low Vision
Audio Description
We schedule audio description for select events throughout the year. Using a single earpiece connected to an assistive listening device (ALD), patrons who are blind or have low vision can listen to trained audio describers give live, verbal descriptions of actions, costumes, scenery, and other visual elements of a performance.
Patrons who wish to listen to the description may pick up a headset free-of-charge, on a first-come, first-served basis, with ID from the Coat Checkroom of each building.
Portland’5 also offers audio description upon request. To request audio description for non-designated events, you must contact the Portland’5 Box Office at least two weeks in prior to the event at 503-248-4335 or by email. These requests are subject to the availability of a describer, and seating locations are assigned at the discretion of the management.
For Patrons and Visitors With Sensory Needs
Portland’5 Centers for the Arts is partnered with KultureCity to make Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Keller Auditorium, Newmark Theatre, Winningstad Theatre, and Brunish Theatre, and all of the programs and events that they host, to be sensory inclusive. This initiative promotes an accommodating and positive experience for all guests and patrons with a sensory issue that visit the Portland’5 venues.
Portland'5 Centers for the Arts is certified as a trained and trusted advocate for those with sensory needs. The certification process entailed the staff of Portland’5 Centers for the Arts being trained by leading medical professionals on how to recognize those guests and fans with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation.
Sensory Bags
Sensory bags, equipped with noise cancelling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards and weighted lap pads are available to all guests of Portland’5 Centers for the Arts who may feel overwhelmed by the environment. Sensory bags and lap pads can be found at the coat check window of each venue.
For Patrons and Visitors Using a Service Animal
Portland’5 Centers for the Arts is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Oregon’s disability laws, and seeks to provide the best possible experience for our guests. We welcome guests with disabilities who wish to bring their service animals into the theatres and public lobbies with them. Pets are not allowed inside Portland’5 facilities during events or in food service areas.
Definition of a service animal
As defined by the ADA, the term “service animal” means a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of common tasks and work provided by service animals may be guiding a person who is blind, attending a person who is deaf, drafting or pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person experiencing a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. The work or task a service dog or miniature horse has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service animals are working animals, not pets.
Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or animals that provide comfort just by being with a person are not considered service animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task. Therefore, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and will not be admitted to Portland’5 theatres including Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Newmark Theatre, Dolores Winningstad Theatre, and Brunish Theatre.
Admission procedure
While not required, we welcome advance contact by guests who use a service animal (dog or miniature horse) prior to purchasing tickets or prior to attending a performance. Our goal is to be helpful so that the guest and service animal are comfortable.
If it is not readily apparent to admissions staff that the animal is a trained service dog or miniature horse, staff will ask:
- Is the service animal required because of a disability?
- If “yes,” then: What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
Portland’5 staff never inquire about or discuss a guest’s disability.
If the service animal is not under the control of the person—including aggressive or erratic behavior, barking, not housebroken—the service animal will not be admitted, or if the service animal is already inside the building, we may ask that the animal be removed.
Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to provide a safe and positive experience for you, your service animal, and all guests at Portland’5. We hope your visit will be an excellent experience.
If you have any further questions, please call us at 503-248-4335 or email us.
For Patrons and Visitors with a Disability Discrimination Complaint
If you believe you have been discriminated against regarding the receipt of benefits or services because of disability, you have the right to file a complaint with Metro.
