The Cavaliers and the U.S. Justice Department "reached a settlement Thursday designed to improve Quicken Loans Arena for fans and concert-goers with disabilities," according to James McCarty of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The Cavs as part of the agreement will provide "at least 110 wheelchair spaces at the arena, with an equal number of companion seats, located at different locations and at various prices." Captioning will be put on arena "scoreboards and video monitors to provide hearing-impaired patrons with all of the information provided over the public address system." The team also agreed to ensure that "people with disabilities are provided accessible seating options" and to "train ticketing staff to ensure that disabled fans and concert-goers are treated the same as non-disabled customers." Many of the provisions are "expected to be enacted within 30 days." A justice department spokesperson said that the U.S. Attorney’s office became involved because a recent complaint "dealt with the provisions of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act." Ellerbe Beckett, which designed the arena, in '98 "reached a settlement with the Justice Department to design future stadiums and arenas so that wheelchair users would have a full view whenever fans or concert-goers stood up" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/14).
