WonderCon Deaf Services and Disabled Services
Anaheim Convention Center – Lobby B/C
Hours
(Thursday Disabled STICKERS Pick up ONLY 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
FRIDAY 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM
Sunday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
WonderCon is dedicated to serving all its attendees. The Deaf Services and Disabled Services departments were established to offer assistance to visitors with special needs, including:
- Badge pickup service (including child badges) for those with mobility issues
- ADA stickers and service dog stickers
- Certified ASL interpreters at large panels and the Masquerade
- A limited number of volunteer interpreters available for individual assistance
- A limited number of wheelchairs and mobility scooters available to rent
- Special limited seating for some programming, events, and the Masquerade
- A rest area for the disabled, the elderly, expectant mothers, and parents with small children
- Comfort rooms that can be used for nursing infants, administering medication, or as a sensory shroud for attendees with special needs
If you are an attendee with disabilities, WonderCon wants to make your experience as fun and as entertaining as possible, but there are a few limitations on what can be provided.
For example:
- Program rooms fill up quickly, and all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, so special seating may not be available if you wait until the last minute to get to the room. Please read your WonderCon Program Book and plan your day accordingly, keeping in mind the popularity of most events.
- Special autograph sessions are generally limited, so it is a good idea to make arrangements to have someone within your group save a spot for you in line.
- Deaf Services and Disabled Services cannot guarantee any seating, autographs, or giveaways.
- If you have medications or other items that need to be kept cool, you should bring a small cooler or insulated bag. WonderCon does not have refrigerators for storage.
Elevators
- The elevator at the front of Lobby AB goes to the second and third floors of the Convention Center
- The elevator found at the back of Lobby CD goes down to Hall E and up to the second and third floors of the Convention Center
- Elevators to ACC North’s upper level can be found near the restrooms at each end of ACC North’s Plaza Lobby
- ACC North’s upper level can also be accessed via the bridge from the Convention Center’s second-floor lobby, near room 201A
Deaf Services
Requesting an ASL Interpreter for Panels
The largest panels will already have ASL interpreters scheduled. For a smaller panel, an interpreter may be requested at the Deaf Services desk in Lobby B/C. The scheduler will try to accommodate all requests.
Requesting an ASL Volunteer Interpreter for Other ASL Needs
At the Deaf Services desk, you can also request a volunteer interpreter for a variety of other ASL needs (for up to three hours). Some examples are: interpreting for gaming or autographs, helping find a line, assisting in the Exhibit Hall or at other WonderCon-sponsored events.
If you are a daily volunteer and would like a volunteer interpreter to accompany you on your assignment, you can request one at the Deaf Services desk.
We will do our best to accommodate your interpreter needs, but occasionally, due to limitations beyond our control, we may not be able to accommodate all requests.
Captioning
WonderCon is not a cable operator, television broadcaster, satellite distributor, or multi-channel programming distributor, and therefore is not required to caption.
While WonderCon presents the programming, it is each individual company that produces its respective program. Because the program is created by them, WonderCon has no say in how those companies want their panel to be presented. While we welcome video content during panels to include captioning on a voluntary basis, that content is not required to be captioned by law.
The Deaf Services team is here to help.
By working together, we can make the convention experience enjoyable for everyone.
Please visit the Deaf Services, Disabled Services, and American Sign Language Interpreters desks in Lobby B/C, on the ground level of the Anaheim Convention Center, for more information.
Disabled Services
What do I do if I need a Wheelchair or Scooter?
MobilitySource is located in Lobby A.
A limited number of wheelchairs and mobility scooters are available to rent on a first-come, first-served basis. Rental requires ID and a credit/debit card. If you would like to reserve a rental scooter in advance, contact MobilitySource at (619) 234-9505, before March 15.
If you choose to transition from your crutches, walker, or wheelchair to a scooter/wheelchair, we can store your device, however, we do not have storage facilities or charging stations for your powered mobility devices.
Traditional Mobility Devices
Per ADA compliance, those with accessibility needs will be accommodated. Attendees with mobility issues are welcome to bring traditional devices designed primarily for use by individuals with mobility-related disabilities.
Note: We do not have charging stations or storage facilities for powered mobility devices.
All mobility devices must be operated safely, at the walking speed of those around you (4 mph or slower). Violation of this rule could result in being removed from the event and having your badge revoked.
Non-Traditional Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices
Due to legitimate safety concerns based on the high volume of slow-moving pedestrian traffic inside the Convention Center, all mobility devices must have three wheels or more to ensure stability. This requirement is for your safety as well as the safety of others.
Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMDs) with two or fewer wheels, including two-wheeled scooters, Segways, bicycles, electric motorcycles, and “hoverboards,” are not allowed in any public areas of the Convention Center, including the lobby. No fuel-powered devices are allowed.
If you wish to bring a non-traditional OPDMD inside the Convention Center, you are strongly urged to contact Disabled Services in advance at cci-info@comic-con.org. Please include the following information:
1. Type of OPDMD (including the manufacturer and model)
2. Dimensions of your OPDMD (should not exceed 32” wide x 52” long x 84” high, including rider)
3. Weight of your OPDMD (should not exceed 450 lbs.)
4. Turning radius of your OPDMD (should not exceed 5 feet)
5. The maximum speed of your OPDMD (and does it have an indoor setting to limit the speed to 4 mph and slower?)
Please allow three weeks for Disabled Services to reply to your email.
When bringing an OPDMD to the Convention Center, you must first take your device to Disabled Services in Lobby BC so they may assess your device in person. They will verify the above requirements, and you will be asked to provide credible assurance* that the mobility device is required because of a disability.
If your OPDMD is allowed, it will be tagged as APPROVED by Disabled Services.
If your device is not allowed, we cannot store it for you, and you must remove it from the property.
WonderCon reserves the right to restrict OPDMD use when, in our opinion, such limitation is required to protect all convention goers’ public health, safety, and welfare. The OPDMD shall not be operated in an unsafe manner or cause damage to Convention Center property. The OPDMD operator assumes all risks of operating the OPDMD on Convention Center property. WonderCon does not represent that Convention Center property is safe for OPDMD use and does not assume any liability for the operation of the OPDMD. Certain risks are inherent in the use of OPDMDs. No OPDMD may be stationary less than 20 feet from any entrance or exit. The only exception is if foot traffic is at a standstill. *Credible assurance means a disability placard or card presented by the person to whom it was issued and is in compliance with the state of issuance’s requirements for disability placards or cards, or a verbal statement that does not contradict observation.
ADA Attendants
Some attendees with disabilities may need an attendant who supports and helps them with activities such as eating, using the bathroom, supervision, communication, or getting from place to place. An attendant is present only to assist the attendee.
IMPORTANT! All attendants are required to purchase a badge either in the badge sale or on-site (the ADA does not require free admission for attendants). Your attendant will need a Comic-Con Member ID.
For more information, please also see our Deaf and Disabled FAQ
Service Dogs
Under the ADA, a service dog is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.
The ADA requires that service animals be under the control of the handler at all times and 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.
Comfort/Support Animals
The Anaheim Convention Center does not allow comfort/support animals. Only trained service dogs, as defined by the ADA, are allowed to assist and accompany a disabled owner. WonderCon and the Anaheim Convention Center follow all state and federal ADA compliance laws and directions.
Exclusives and Exclusive Autograph Signings
On the Exclusives Portal
To ensure everybody has equal access to exclusives and exclusive autograph signings, WonderCon uses a randomized selection process through the online Exclusives Portal.
Watch Toucan – the official blog of Comic-Con and WonderCon – and social media for announcements about the portal. When it goes live, log in to Comic-Con Member ID, and click the link under the Exclusives Portal in the main menu. Follow the instructions carefully. Once open, participants with an eligible badge may sign up for the opportunity to be selected for access to shop for exclusives from participating exhibitors or for a chance to take part in an exclusive signing.
- If you are randomly selected for an exclusive item, you will be emailed a confirmation with a QR Code and further instructions on when and where to make your purchases.
- If you are randomly selected for an exclusive signing, you will be emailed a confirmation with a QR Code and further instructions on how and when to get your wristband for the signing that day.
Please note: Randomly distributing purchase-timeslot tickets eliminates the need to rush on-site. Participation is limited to the days you have a badge, and you will have a certain number of opportunities to enter for exclusives offered for each of those badged days. You can put all your requests into a single item, or spread them out. It’s up to you!
Special ADA wheelchair access points are at the discretion of the exhibitor. The line itself must be ADA-compliant, but not every exhibitor will have a separate ADA line.
Please refer to the WonderCon website and the Toucan Blog for more details.
BE SURE TO Read the WonderCon Policies page here:
https://www.comic-con.org/wc/plan-your-visit/convention-policies/
For answers to many other questions about Deaf and Disabled Services please review our FAQ HERE
For information not listed in the FAQ, please contact cci-info@comic-con.org or ask on-site at Deaf Services and Disabled Services desks.