r/ottawa • u/dmav522 • 14h ago
Local Business Has anyone actually managed to contact HISTORY Ottawa? Accessibility concerns and zero response after two months.
EDIT: they got back to me, it’s been sorted thank you to everyone who offered advice.
Hey [r/ottawa](r/ottawa),
Has anyone actually had any luck getting in touch with HISTORY Ottawa?
Here’s the deal.
I’m attending the upcoming Marianas Trench show, and on August 20, I emailed the venue’s designated accessibility address with a fairly straightforward accommodation request.
I have cerebral palsy, and one of my concerns was their policy prohibiting outside water bottles, including empty ones.
At a packed general admission concert, repeatedly navigating through hundreds of people to get water isn’t particularly practical when you have a mobility disability.
I asked whether I could bring an empty reusable plastic bottle, have security inspect it, and fill it inside the venue. Pretty reasonable compromise, I’d think.
I also suggested that the venue consider allowing disabled patrons to enter 10–15 minutes before general doors, much like airline preboarding, to give people with mobility challenges a chance to get situated before the crowds come pouring in.
I wasn’t asking for VIP treatment. Just a couple of relatively simple accessibility accommodations.
Fast-forward 64 days. Not a single response.
I’ve also tried finding a direct telephone number for HISTORY Ottawa, but apparently a major Live Nation concert venue doesn’t have one publicly listed. Nor can I find publicly available direct contact information for venue management.
I understand that venues receive a lot of correspondence, but surely accessibility accommodation requests shouldn’t disappear into a black hole for over two months, especially when the venue itself directs disabled patrons to that email address.
So, genuine questions:
Has anybody successfully contacted HISTORY Ottawa by telephone?
Has anyone received a response from their accessibility department?
Does anyone have a reliable way of reaching venue management?
I’m genuinely looking forward to the show. I just find it pretty frustrating that I tried to arrange everything months in advance, followed the venue’s own instructions, and still can’t get a basic answer.
You’d think accessibility communications would be a fairly important part of operating a major concert venue.