Rentals
Read this one carefully, because Avila changed venue.
The 2026 ceremony was on campus. The official program reads "Commencement Exercises, May 9, 2026, Avila University." The 2027 ceremony is off campus at Hy-Vee Arena, 1800 Genessee Street, in the West Bottoms. Avila also consolidated from two ceremonies down to one.
So anything a relative remembers about parking at Avila from a previous graduation no longer applies. Do not plan from last time.
What is confirmed
Saturday, May 8, 2027, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with student check-in at 8:30 a.m. Avila runs no December commencement.
Related on-campus events that week: practice May 4–6 in Mabee Fieldhouse; TRIO/SSS Pinning Thursday May 6 at 4 p.m. in The Chapel, Foyle Hall; Imaging Sciences Pinning Friday May 7 at 11 a.m.; Nursing Pinning Friday May 7 at 3 p.m. Those are at the campus on Wornall Road, not at the arena. It is a real chance to drive to the wrong side of town twice in one week.
What Avila has not published, and we will not guess
Avila's commencement page carries a placeholder where the mobility guidance should be:
"Information for Mobility-Impaired Guests — more information coming soon."
That is the university's own text. There is no published ADA seating information, no accessible drop-off point, and no wheelchair detail for the new venue.
On parking, the entirety of what Avila publishes is: "Students and guests should park in the parking lots at Hy-Vee arena. Parking is free." No lot names, no accessible-parking location, no drop-off, no shuttle.
We could fill that gap with plausible-sounding detail. We are not going to. Hy-Vee Arena publishes no dedicated accessibility or parking page of its own. The only access-related language on the venue's site is customer testimonials, which is marketing copy rather than venue policy. Repeating it as fact would do you a disservice on the one day you cannot afford a surprise.
Who to ask
Commencement questions: graduation@avila.edu.
For access specifically, Avila's Student Access Office: Daniel Weigel, Ph.D., daniel.weigel@avila.edu, 816-501-3606, Foyle Hall; interpreters via 816.501.3666 or SAO@avila.edu. Note that office is framed around currently enrolled students rather than commencement guests, so say up front that you are asking about a guest at the May ceremony.
Ask two specific questions: where accessible parking is at Hy-Vee Arena, and where accessible seating will be. If the "coming soon" section is still a placeholder when you call, those are the gaps to close.
One small practical note: the correct page is avila.edu/graduation-commencement/. Other commencement URLs on the site resolve to an uninformative stub.
What we can tell you
We deliver a mobility scooter, wheelchair, transport chair or rollator to your hotel or home, charged and ready, and collect it afterwards. The West Bottoms is an easy delivery area for us and it is close to downtown hotels.
What we would say about any unfamiliar arena: a 10 a.m. Saturday ceremony means arriving in a parking lot you have not seen before, with an 8:30 check-in pulling your graduate away early. If the person you are bringing is uncertain over distance, having their own wheels removes that worry. That matters more than usual here, because the venue detail that would normally let you plan around it has not been published yet.
Booking
Tell us the date and where you are staying. Commencement weekends are the tightest dates in our year, and early May is the peak of it. Call as soon as you know your plans.
KC Mobility Scooter Rentals is an independent rental company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking on behalf of any college or university, and we do not control any campus or venue policy. Details here were read from each school's own published pages in September 2026. Always confirm the current year's arrangements with the school before you travel.