Accessibility

Map

Assistive Listening Devices are available for guests attending ceremonies on Old Campus. An interactive Yale Campus map includes information about accessibility in Yale buildings. Click on the map or use the search navigation bar to find information about a building or area on campus. After selecting a building or area, choose the drop-down tab labeled “Accessibility” for details.

Shuttle Service to Campus

Wheelchair-accessible vans and other transit vehicles are on-call 24 hours a day on Commencement Weekend. To schedule a pick-up, call 203-281-5470, prompt 1. Please call at least 30 minutes prior to your desired pick-up time. Let the dispatcher know if you need an accessible van for a wheelchair or can be accommodated by a sedan or SUV.

Although shuttles are available to take Commencement guests to some diploma ceremonies, the streets surrounding Old Campus will be extremely congested. Guests of colleges and schools that are far from Old Campus may find it useful to bring a wheelchair for family members who have difficulty walking long distances.

Some professional schools reserve buses to take their Commencement guests to diploma ceremonies. They will communicate this information directly to their students. These buses will be parked on College Street, facing north.

Assistive Listening Devices

Assistive listening devices are available for guests who are attending ceremonies on Old Campus. Attendees can request an assistive listening device from a volunteer in the accessible seating area.

Wheelchairs

The university does not have wheelchairs to loan. We urge guests with limited stamina or reduced mobility to bring a wheelchair to campus. Wheelchairs make it easier to cover distances from parking to the University Commencement, diploma ceremonies, and other events.

Old Campus Seating

Old Campus is a mostly level, grassy area with accessible entrances on College, High, and Chapel streets. Guests requiring accessible seating and those who may need extra assistance, along with their accompanying family members, are invited to use a specially marked gate on High Street at Elm Street, near the Yale Post Office, to enter Old Campus. This entrance is closest to the accessible seating area.

There will be a jumbo screen in front of the accessible seating section at High Street that provides a clear picture of the ceremonies and in-person ASL interpretation. Guests can also ask a volunteer in this area for an assistive listening device.

Registration

To ensure that everyone can be accommodated, we ask families who need the accessible seating area to pre-register.

When securing Commencement tickets, students should specify if their guests require accessible seating during the ceremony. Students with a guest who has one or more of the following accessibility requirements should register:

  • uses a wheelchair, walker, scooter, or other mobility device
  • has limited mobility but does not use a mobility aid
  • needs an assistive listening device
  • uses ASL interpretation

Guests with accessibility seating tickets and their accompanying family members will use the specially marked gate on High Street at Elm Street, near the Yale Post Office.

Please note that tickets are required for the University Commencement Ceremony on Monday, May 20, 2024. Tickets are not required for Baccalaureate and Class Day on Sunday, May 19, 2024.

Guests who may not meet the accessibility standards but still desire proximity to other accessible amenities are invited to enter Old Campus via Whitman Gate on High Street and Chapel Street. This entrance offers proximity to another jumbo screen for enhanced viewing, accessible restroom facilities, and an indoor livestream viewing area with comfortable seating. Indoor viewing areas are especially convenient on hot days.

Accessibility Drop-off Near Campus

There are designated accessibility drop-off areas for Sunday’s Baccalaureate and Class Day and Monday’s Commencement. Drop-off for guests with limited mobility can be made at the intersection of Elm and High streets and High and Chapel streets, which are closest to the reserved accessible seating area.  No special sticker is needed for drop-off, and ushers are available to assist.

Please note that street parking is extremely limited near the accessibility drop-off areas.

For Commencement Day, drop-off should be no later than 9:20 a.m. Streets surrounding Old Campus will be closed shortly after 9:20 in preparation for the academic procession, which begins promptly at 10 a.m. 

Please budget 30 minutes to drop off guests, park your car, and return to Old Campus. You can access paid parking downtown in the York Street or Temple Street public parking garages. On-street parking during Commencement weekend is scarce and usually limited to two hours or less.

Drivers can also park at Prospect Sachem Garage, 200 Prospect Street, where a shuttle will run beginning at 8:00 a.m. Return shuttles to the garage will run from Phelps Gate until 5:30 p.m. All shuttle service ends at 6 p.m. Please note that this Science Park shuttle service to/from Old Campus is provided on Monday only.

Accessible Restrooms

Accessible temporary restrooms will be available near the accessible seating area for the convenience of guests. They will be identified on the Commencement program map.

Ceremony Livestreams 

Some guests may be more comfortable viewing the ceremonies indoors via livestream.

Baccalaureate, Class Day, and Commencement will be livestreamed from the Yale YouTube Channel. Recordings of major ceremonies will be posted on the Commencement homepage.

All ceremonies are livestreamed in the following locations, both of which are wheelchair accessible: 

  • ​Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street
  • Battell Chapel, 400 College Street

Guests without tickets for the University Commencement ceremony can also enjoy the event via live stream at designated hospitality viewing locations. These locations will be announced closer to the date of Commencement.

Rain 

Unless weather conditions are dangerous or severe, Baccalaureate, Class Day, and the University Commencement Ceremony will take place outside on Old Campus, although processions and programs may be shortened.

  • Guests in wheelchairs and all accompanying family members may view livestreams of all ceremonies in Linsly Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street; or Battell Chapel, 400 College Street. Additional livestream information can be found below. 

In the event of inclement weather, diploma ceremonies in some residential colleges and schools may be moved to indoor locations. Information will be posted in a timely manner, and residential colleges and schools will update their graduates directly.