"Is This Seat Accessible for Me?": An Autoethnography of a Person With a Mobility Disability Using Interactive Seat Plans for Public Events

Spectating sports matches or concerts is a popular activity, but these public live events have yet to become more accessible to people with disabilities. Inspecting the corresponding interactive seat plan before purchasing tickets online can be necessary to avoid or prepare for barriers at these venues. Unfortunately, these representations often lack valuable accessibility information. To explore how this can affect the disabled community, we leverage autoethnography to provide an in-depth introspective account through the lens of a person with a mobility disability. We apply Thematic Analysis to synthesise field notes from his research diary. The crafted themes showcase the lacking accessibility support in seat plans and illustrate the first author's adaptation strategies to facilitate accessible experiences. We further contextualise his social relationships as a key factor throughout this process. Grounded in these results, we reflect on the provision of accessibility information, the categorisation of seats, and interdependent relationships within and through these systems.