By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — The Metropolitan Opera House settled a federal lawsuit Thursday that charged the theater with discriminating against people with disabilities.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that the opera house, located at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side, had cooperated with authorities to make its facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"The comprehensive corrective measures agreed to by the Met ensure that people with disabilities will have an equal opportunity to enjoy the performances offered by one of New York City's finest cultural institutions," Bharara said in a statement Thursday.
The Met has installed more wheelchair seating, accessible water fountains, and braille signs as well as renovated the concession stands and bathrooms and made the elevators more accessible.
A spokesman for the the Met said they could not provide an estimate on the total cost of the overhaul.
Part of the agreement requires the Met to eliminate barriers to entry for a few remaining elevators and to revise its emergency plans so that disabled opera-goers can evacuate safely and quickly.
"We are pleased that this has been resolved and that the Met is now even more accessible," said Brent Ness, press representative for the Metropolitan Opera.
