Cornell University Commencement

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Mobility-Impaired Parking and Seating Options

Mobility Impaired | Wheelchair Rental | Hearing Impaired

Mobility Impaired

Please understand that walking the hills of the Cornell campus can be quite strenuous and may quickly become too difficult for elderly guests, in particular, to handle. Carefully review the information below and consider making the necessary plans to help make the day as comfortable as possible.

As a courtesy, we provide a limited number of mobility-impaired parking and seating spaces for the University Commencement Ceremony for guests with health concerns. The degree of impairment ranges from those who can walk only short distances unassisted to those who require wheelchairs, crutches, and need assistance. Mobility-impaired permits are valid for the University Commencement Ceremony in Schoellkopf Stadium on Sunday, as well as for Senior Class Convocation in Schoellkopf Stadium on Saturday. (Please inquire with individual colleges for special seating arrangements at college diploma ceremonies and receptions.)

Permit requests for May 2010 are not currently being processed. The online permit application will be available in the fall, so please check back for the application link. Permits are free and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Completion of the mobility-impaired parking application will allow you to receive one permit to park your vehicle in a designated area. If you have more than one mobility-impaired guest in your vehicle, apply for only one permit, as the permit is to park the vehicle only. The permit option you select (below) will dictate your parking location as well as your seating location.

There are two parking and seating options available depending on the degree of impairment. Click here for a photo of mobility-impaired seating locations on Sunday. (Note: Saturday's Convocation seating is different than Sunday's Commencement seating -- click on "map" links below.)

OPTION 1 - Yellow Permit

Saturday (map): park in stadium garage; sit in chairs on stadium floor
Sunday (map): park in stadium garage; sit in chairs on stadium floor

Option 1 is for guests with ANY of the following:

Wheelchair, walker, powered device, cane, crutches

Unable to step on/off bus

Needs assistance; unsteady on feet

Cannot use stairs

Needs chair with back support

Has vertigo or height fears

Needs to sit in hearing-impaired section for sign language interpretation

Parking

1 permit per vehicle (per family) to park in parking garage Saturday & Sunday

Unlimited number of guests allowed in vehicle (do not need to supply names of riders)

Ushers available to transport guests from car to chair via wheelchair, if needed

Parking permit may be used for Convocation (Saturday) and Commencement (Sunday)

Enter garage (Hoy Rd) & proceed to 3rd level unloading which is level with stadium floor

Plan to arrive at garage by 9:00am, as unloading and seating process takes time

Vehicles over 6'6" high will be directed to designated area near parking garage entrance

Seating

No seating tickets issued for this seating area (1 person may sit with individual)

On the field, level with graduates

No stairs - approx. 100 feet of level walking (wheelchair assistance is available)

Folding chairs with back support (space for wheelchairs)

Handicapped-accessible restrooms

OPTION 2 - Blue Permit

Saturday (map): park in stadium garage (Saturday only); sit in chairs on stadium floor
Sunday (map): park in TRB Lot & ride bus to stadium; sit in stadium bleachers

Option 2 is for guests who can do ALL of the following:

Able to step on/off shuttle bus

Able to walk up/down 1-10 stadium stairs

Able to sit in bleachers - no back support

Able to walk 100 feet unassisted

Does not have wheelchair, walker, powered device, cane, crutches

Does not have vertigo or height fears

Parking

1 parking permit per vehicle (per family)

Park in stadium garage on Saturday; park in TRB Lot on Sunday

Saturday parking permit for Convocation; Sunday parking permit for Commencement

Plan to arrive by 9:30am, as parking & seating takes time

Unlimited number of guests allowed in vehicle (do not need to supply names of riders)

Seating

6 Sunday seating tickets issued with permit; no seating tickets needed on Saturday

Reserved bleachers in stadium crescent on Sunday; chairs on stadium floor on Saturday

Some stadium stairs (1-10) on Sunday; no stairs on Saturday

Allowed to bring portable/attachable back support for bleacher seating on Sunday

Following the University Commencement ceremony on Sunday
Option 2 permit holders will walk or take a bus to the college events.
Option 1 permit holders may drive to a location near the college event, following Commencement. Please refer to the specific instructions that will accompany the Option 1 permit. The permit must be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle in order to obtain access on campus.

Permits will be mailed late April through May 14, 2010.
You may complete the online application until May 14, 2010. After May 14, you may apply for a permit in person, if they are still available, at the Information and Referral Center, just inside the main doors of Day Hall until 5:00pm, May 29, 2010.

Wheelchair Rental

The University does not provide wheelchairs. If you have a family member who needs the assistance of a wheelchair for the weekend, we urge you to rent one at home to bring to Ithaca, if possible. If you need to rent one in Ithaca, be sure to ask about their pick up and delivery requirements, as some places may be closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Memorial Day).

Some medical supply companies in Ithaca are:

Kinney Drug: 607-272-8333
Guthrie Medical Supply: 607-273-4727
Lin Care: 607-277-4027
The Finger Lakes Independence Center: 607-272-2433
Professional Homecare at Community Corners: 607-257-1425

Hearing Impaired

Sign language interpretation will be provided at Convocation (Saturday) and Commencement (Sunday). The sign language interpreter will be located in the Option 1 Mobility Impaired seating area at the south end of Schoellkopf Field. Hearing-impaired guests needing sign language interpretation should apply for an Option 1 Parking Permit to park in the parking garage. Upon entering Schoellkopf Field from the parking garage, ushers and signs will direct guests to the Hearing Impaired seating area. There are no seating tickets issued/required to sit in the hearing-impaired section. Click here to apply for an Option 1 Parking Permit to park in the parking garage. For hearing-impaired seating, please contact the Commencement Office at commencement@cornell.edu or 607-255-9541 to request seating in the hearing-impaired area.

More details regarding Mobiliy-Impaired Parking and Seating Options may be obtained by calling the Commencement Office at 607-255-9541 or via email to commencement@cornell.edu