All of our seating is accessible. The Growing Stage does not have fixed seating in its auditorium and has the flexibility to move its seating to the needs of our production and patrons. 

Since seating is general admission, patrons can contact the Box Office (preferably the week of/day before) their performance to request seating to accommodate their disability. 

There is no specific discount offered for patrons with disabilities since economic accessibility has been an active part of our organization’s values since our inception in 1982.  We do provide complimentary tickets to non family/support people if requested and have a long-standing relationship with several not for profit service organizations in our region that specifically serve people with disabilities such as SCARC, SMILE of Hopatcong and UCP of Morris/Somerset County. 

Our facility does not have its own parking lot, however patrons are able to use the Fulton Bank Parking lot located next door to the theatre. If special needs are brought to our attention, a theatre representative assists by meeting the means of transportation out in front of the theatre, or meets the customer in the parking area to assist in the parking of their vehicle. 

A Quiet Room is available for all performances for any to accommodate individuals with Autism or development disabilities and the families and professionals who support them.  This classroom is located on the 2nd floor and accessible by stairs or an elevator.  Proper signage is located in the lobby to direct patrons to this space. 

 Service Animal Policy 

In compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities shall be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all unrestricted areas of The Growing Stage’s facilities, and may attend any performance, class, meeting or other event. Exceptions may apply in certain areas. 

Employees who have a disability and are requesting accommodation for a service animal must contact the human resources (HR) department and complete the proper documentation. All service animals must be registered with the HR department. 

For purposes of this policy, “service animal” has been defined by the ADA as “any animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals to an impending seizure or protecting individuals during one, and alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders, or pulling a wheelchair and fetching dropped items.” Absent prior authorization, The Growing Stage’s prohibits individuals from bringing onto the premises a pet that does not meet the ADA’s definition of service animal. 

All service animals must be licensed in compliance with local laws. Service animals must also be vaccinated against rabies and other diseases typically found in that animal, and must wear a tag displaying its vaccinated status. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents them from using these devices, in which case the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal or other effective controls. 

The service animal’s handler must be in complete control of the service animal at all times. The care and supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of its handler. An individual who brings a service animal onto The Growing Stage’s premises is completely and solely liable for any injuries or damage to personal property caused by the animal. Any repair or cleaning costs incurred by a service animal will be charged to the handler. 

The Growing Stage also expects all service animals and their respective handlers to exhibit reasonable behavior while on The Growing Stage’s grounds. The service animal must be properly groomed and maintained so as to avoid disruption of others in our facility. In addition to the aforementioned requirements, a service animal may be removed from The Growing Stage’s premises for one of the following reasons: 

• The service animal acts out of control or behaves poorly so as to cause a disruption, and the handler fails or is unable to take effective action to control the service animal.
• The service animal is unclean, and/or not housebroken.
• If the service animal consistently behaves improperly, the handler may be directed not to bring the service animal onto The Growing Stage’s premises until the handler corrects the service animal’s behavior. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed from the premises, staff must offer the disabled individual the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the service animal’s presence. 

Our two public restrooms are located off the lobby and each have one accessible stall. Each accessible stall has doors 3’3″ wide and swing open 90 degrees and are equipped with grab bars. The sink facets are easy to operate and have a pedestal base for easy access. The soap and paper towel dispensers are ADA compliant.