Kevin Ortiz, a wheelchair-user and content creator documenting his cross-country tour of NFL stadiums, had trouble obtaining ADA-compliant seats at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers say they’ll fix their policy but already have a track record — a 2020 class action settlement and a pending 2023 suit.
As KRON4 reports, influencer and disability advocate Kevin Ortiz recently visited Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara during the 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons and was initially unable to obtain wheelchair-accessible seating. In one of his videos about his visit, Ortiz was told that 90% of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant seats at Levi’s are purchased by season ticket holders who typically resell them for quadruple the price.
Ortiz says that most stadiums reserve a certain amount of ADA seats, which are made available on a first come, first serve basis the day of the game. He said he usually has success buying a regular same-day ticket and exchanging it for a wheelchair-accessible ticket at the stadium, which worked for him at the previous ten games he attended this season.
When Ortiz and his companion, content creator and disability advocate Kerry Peterson, who also uses a wheelchair, arrived at the stadium, they were initially told the game was completely sold out and the venue would likely be unable to accommodate them by exchanging their tickets. After some pushback in person and through his Instagram account, the pair were eventually given seats — in an empty ADA section reserved for “TV,” with no film crew to be found.
While the stadium says it’s working to improve its policy on ADA seating, commenters on Ortiz’s posts led SFist to two recent lawsuits against the venue on the matter. In 2020, the stadium agreed to a $24 million settlement in a class action lawsuit, with one of the terms stipulating that ADA seats be made available for purchase online so “Class Members will not be required to visit the 49ers football stadium box office in person in order to buy tickets.”
The stadium is also currently involved in another pending ADA lawsuit, which it unsuccessfully tried to have dismissed last year.
In his first video in the series, Ortiz said he wants to be the first person with a spinal cord injury to attend all 32 NFL games in one season. (Side Note: There are currently 30 full-time stadiums in the NFL as opposed to 32, as the New York teams share MetLife Stadium, and Los Angeles shares SoFi Stadium.)
He says his motivation for doing the series is to shed light on the obstacles wheelchair-users face when attending NFL games and to challenge teams to improve their customer service and seating policies for guests with disabilities.
Image: SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 19: A general view inside Levi’s Stadium ahead of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons on October 19, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)