ACCESSIBILITY

GETTING TO THE EVENT | ENTERING THE EVENT
AT THE EVENT | ASL & MOBILITY SERVICES | GENERAL ACCESSIBILITY

By Metro

The Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metro station on the Yellow and Green Lines is located about three blocks from the Convention Center. From there it’s a short distance down the street to the Accessibility entrance of Awesome Con located on L Street.

For information about Metro accessibility, please visit the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority’s website at www.wmata.com.

By Car/Parking

There are twelve designated public parking spaces designated for vehicles displaying disability parking placards/permits or license tags in the following locations:

• 7th Street between L Street and Mt Vernon Place (3 metered spaces)
• 9th Street between Mount Vernon Place and L Street (3 metered spaces)
• 9th Street between L Street and M Street (3 metered spaces)
• 9th Street between M Street and N Street (3 metered spaces)

All of these handicapped spaces are accessible at the sidewalk side; although the spaces are not marked for wheelchair transfer. These spaces are public parking spots and are on a first come first serve basis. We cannot reserve these spaces. There is no public parking inside the building. There are parking garages and lots available in order to accommodate events at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and other downtown venues. The hours of operation and hourly rates vary at each facility, so please be aware when leaving your vehicle.

The Premium & Accessibility Entrance is conveniently located on L Street between 7th and 9th​​​. You and your party are welcome to utilize it.

Please note that you are not required to use this entrance, and may enter through any door that corresponds with your badge level; however, this entrance is less crowded and is located closest to the Accessibility Registration room and scooter pickup.

Once you’re safely inside the building, Staff and Crew will be on hand to welcome you and guide you to nearby Room 156 where Accessibility Registration is located. If the Exhibit Hall is not open yet, you will then be directed to the Accessibility Queueing area until it’s time to rock and roll!

Accessibility and Companion Wristbands

Accessibility wristbands are provided to attendees with disabilities and up to one companion. Please note that both you and your companion must have an Awesome Con badge to attend the event.

Accessibility wristbands allow you to access ADA lines where applicable, as well as Accessibility seating at the Main Stage. Learn more below in the ‘Main Stage and Panel Rooms’ section below. Accessibility wristbands are for individuals who:

• Are hearing impaired or deaf
• Have a cognitive disability
• Are limited in their mobility
• Have any health condition that makes it difficult to walk, stand, or be in large crowds.

To receive an accessibility and companion wristband, please request one at Accessibility Registration located on L Street, from any Info Booth, or from an Awesome Con Staff Member​​​​​​​​​

Celebrity Autographs and Autograph Return Time Wristbands

If you purchased a celebrity autograph ticket, certain ADA accommodations are available for your convenience.

• Awesome Con provides space for wheelchair and scooter parking outside of the standard queues. If you use one of these devices, you are welcome to wait there while your companion holds your place in line. You may also choose to wait in line with your mobility device, but please note that queues can be tight due to limited space in the Hall.

• If you’re someone who has ADA-related difficulties standing in lines for long periods, there is a designated seating area for individuals wearing an ADA wristband. Didn’t get your wristband when you arrived? Ask a Crew member, and they can assist you.

If you do not have a companion or do not wish to be separated from your companion, you may utilize an Autograph Return Time Wristband.​​​​​​​​​ To utilize this accommodation, speak with the Crew member who is working line control for the guest you are meeting.

If there are fewer than 10 people in line, or it’s estimated that it will take 20 minutes or less to cycle through, the Crew member will give you the option of waiting in line or having your companion wait while you have a brief sit. Once it’s time to rejoin the line, the Crew member will escort you up the Exit lane.

If the Crew member believes the line will take longer than 20 minutes to cycle through, they will give you an Autograph Return Time wristband and write the celebrity guest’s name and a return time on it. (This wristband should be secured to the same location as your ADA wristband.) The Crew member will also collect your name, contact number, and your given return time for their records.

After receiving your Autograph Return Time Wristband, there is a designated seating area where you can wait. If you can see the line from your seat, you are welcome to return early if it looks like the line is coming to an end.

ONLY ONE AUTOGRAPH RETURN TIME WRISTBAND MAY BE REQUESTED AT A TIME.​​​​​​​​​

Celebrity guests are not guaranteed to be at their table if you fail to return on time, so please make sure to set a reminder for yourself. Should a celebrity guest need to stop autographing unexpectedly, a Crew member will attempt to contact you at the cell phone number and let you know what action to take.

If the celebrity guest has designated times for their autograph sessions, please line up at your scheduled time. unless the guest is running more than 20 minutes behind.

Priority line access is reserved for individuals who purchased a Club Awesome membership or a Premium Badge.

Celebrity Photo Ops

If you purchased a ticket to take a professional photo with a celebrity, please note that Priority line access is reserved for individuals who purchased a Club Awesome membership or a Premium badge. Our partner, Epic Experiences, manages the Photo Op area. Due to limited space, they may allow attendees with accessibility needs, as well as families with strollers, to take their photos first at their discretion. Please feel free to contact Epic Experiences with questions or concerns you may have.

Typically, photo op waits don’t take long. You don’t need to arrive for your photo op until 10-15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Once the ops begin, the line will move very quickly as photo ops are fast!

If your photo op is delayed for any reason and it becomes difficult to stand/wait, please speak to an Epic Photo Ops staff member, and they will be happy to assist you. We recommend staying within the Autographing area and utilizing the ADA seating, if possible, as reception within the convention center cannot be guaranteed

Main Stage and Panel Rooms

Panel rooms will have designated accessible seating in various locations throughout the room. Please ask a Crew or Staff member if you need assistance locating these seats or removing chairs so that you may park your wheelchair/scooter. You are not required to sit in the ADA seats if you don’t want to.

Most panel rooms are not cleared between panels; however, our Main Stage will have a few clearing instances, which will be marked on the programming schedule whenever possible. For especially popular Main Stage panels, we recommend lining up at least 30 minutes before seating is scheduled to begin to help ensure you make it into the panel before the cutoff. An accessibility wristband does not guarantee seating or entry if the room is at capacity.

If you use a mobility device such as a wheelchair, scooter, walker, or cane, or you have ADA-related difficulties standing in line for long periods, please see a Crew or Staff member so they can direct you to a designated line. This line will be permitted into the Main Stage panel room early in the loading process for easier navigation down the aisles to the ADA reserved seating areas.

Note: While Staff will always do their best to make accommodations, designated accessibility seating cannot be guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

ASL Services

We are pleased to be able to provide ASL interpreting services for all of our deaf and hard of hearing fans. These free services are available for you to utilize during panels and programming, autographing and photo op sessions, fan meetups, and more.

Main Stage Panels: All Main Stage panels will be ASL interpreted. Head to the front of the room and look for the ASL interpreter near the left or right side of the stage. There will be specially labeled seats near this interpreter for you to sit in. Please let our staff know if additional accommodations need to be made. Panels and events that have requested ASL interpretation will be labeled in our mobile app and online schedule. Simply head to our Programming page and filter by ASL to find these panels.

Other panels, autographs, photo ops, and special requests: Our ASL interpreters are available in a limited capacity, on a first come, first served basis for onsite requests for additional panels, autographs, and photo ops sessions. Requests for ASL interpreters should be placed through our application form. If the form has closed, please email [email protected] with your request and we will do our best to accommodate it. If you are at the show, you may check at the Accessibility Desk located in Room 156 for information on ASL interpreter availability not requested in advance.

Mobility Device Requests

Please be aware that Awesome Con covers a large portion of the convention center and can require a lot of walking.​​​ Registration covers about a city block, the Main Stage is about another city block, and the Exhibit Hall is about three city blocks, which amounts to over a quarter of a mile of walking.

Awesome Con does not provide wheelchairs or other mobility devices for the event. You may reserve one for delivery to your hotel or Awesome Con through E-Mile. Please make sure to contact them early at 702-919-0032 or via email at [email protected] to reserve your mobility device, as same-day requests cannot be accommodated.

The official Accessibility entrance of Awesome Con is located on L Street between 7th and 9th.

If needed for any reason, there is also a curbside drop-off for wheelchairs and sidewalk curb cut-outs located at each corner of the Convention Center perimeter and ramps leading from the 9th Street and 7th Street corners to the doors at the Mount Vernon Place entrance. Automatic doors are located at the L Street, Mount Vernon Place, and Metro (7th and M Streets) entrances.

Inside the Center, meeting rooms, exhibit halls, and public areas are all served by conveniently located elevators. Telephones, drinking fountains, and restrooms throughout the building are wheelchair accessible. The taxi curbside cut-out located at Mount Vernon Place is available for wheelchair drop-off/transfers.

Elevators

Passenger elevators located throughout the Center provide access to all public areas of the building. Elevators are alarm-equipped with two-way communications to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Command Center and have tactile Braille call buttons inside and outside the cars. Elevators will be marked with where the elevator will go. Please note that only those with accessibility and companion wristbands or those with strollers will be allowed to use the elevators.

Restrooms

All of the Center’s restrooms are accessible to persons with disabilities and contain stalls, sinks, and mirrors that are wheelchair accessible.

Additionally, if you are a nursing mother, there are nursing pods available in the convention center. There are Mamava breastfeeding and pumping pods! Head to Mother’s Station 1 – outside 103 or Mother’s Station 2 – L St. North, whether you want to breastfeed in private or pump. You can find information about unlocking a Mamava pod on this website or use code 8008.

Quiet Room

For guests needing a little sensory break from all the action, there is a Quiet Room located in Room 157 (near ADA Registration) in which you can relax and take a breather.

Service Animals

Trained service animals are permitted in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center with proper supervision. Walter E. Washington Convention Center staff, Rose City Comic Con staff, and security have the legal right to ask if your animal is required because of a disability and what work or task it is trained to perform. They are also permitted by law to ask that an animal be removed from the premises if it is not housebroken, behaves aggressively, or is otherwise posing a threat to human health and safety.

Questions?

If you have questions or need clarification, please send an email to [email protected].