Sensory-Friendly Day at the Ohio State Fair
Join us Thursday, July 25, 2024 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
We’ve turned down the lights and volume to make the Ohio
State Fair more sensory-friendly in partnership with OCALI.
·
Ride the rides with no flashing lights or music.
·
Visit the Fair’s many educational and sensory activities in
the morning with fewer crowds.
·
Take a break in Natural Resources Park or our soothing
Quiet Room.
"The Ohio State Fair isn’t just about food and
rides – it is about community. We want to make the Fair as enjoyable as
possible for all Ohioans, and Sensory-Friendly Morning is one way we can
achieve that goal."
Ohio
State Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler
"At OCALI, we believe in a world where everyone
deserves access to their community. These new features at the Fair help to
create a common experience with unique considerations that allow greater access
for all people."
OCALI
Executive Director Shawn Henry
A Day at the Fair: The First Sensory-Friendly Morning at the Ohio State
Fair
Spend some time at the first ever Sensory-Friendly Morning
held July 31, 2019 and learn more about what happens when you lower the lights
and sounds and take additional steps toward creating a sensory-friendly
environment.
Support Your Visit
OCALI Quiet Room
If you need some quiet time or a break from exploring Fair
activities during the Sensory-Friendly Morning, stop by the OCALI Quiet Room
located in the Ohio Building near the Taste of Ohio Cafe. This quiet,
air-conditioned space will offer a variety of low-tech and mid-tech solutions
to support sensory needs, including fidgets, weighted lap pads and other
sensory supports.
Ohio
Department of Natural Resources Park
Enjoy the shade and peaceful surrounding in the beautiful
eight-acre park. Opened from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., this space offers a
naturally quiet space with several sensory-friendly activities provided during
the Sensory-Friendly Morning and each day of the Ohio State Fair.
Social narratives provide a story to describe a social
situation supporting learners with socially appropriate responses and
strategies to regulate their behaviors. We have prepared one to support a visit at the Ohio State Fair or learn
more about Social Narrative strategies to create one.
A simple visual schedule to support individuals moving from
a less-desired activity to a more preferred one. The First-Then board can
include words, pictures or icons. Learn more about First-Then Boards and
download a blank template to use with your own words, photos, or icons.
Wait Card / Turn-Taking Support
Waiting is a very abstract concept for individuals on the
autism spectrum. How long do I wait? Where do I wait? A wait card can provide a
visual to support an individual while waiting in line for a ride, a game, food,
or to pet the animals. Check out examples of Wait Cards to take to the Fair.
For more interventions to support all learners, including
those with autism spectrum disorder, please visit the Autism Center Grab and Go Resource Gallery Interventions.
Making Fairs More Accessible
In January 2020, OCALI and the Ohio State Fair shared their
experience with planning the first Sensory-Friendly Morning with fair staff
across the state at the 95th Ohio Fair Managers Association Convention.
Presenters also offered information about sensory processing and how to provide
an environment that accommodates sensory differences, as well as
discussed tools and resources, including a checklist of things to
consider, to support hosting sensory-friendly events in communities
across Ohio.
More about OCALI
OCALI
is a recognized global leader in creating and connecting resources and
relationships to ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to
live their best lives for their whole lives. As a trusted source, OCALI
enhances, develops and promotes world-class resources to effectively equip
anyone who cares for, supports, educates, employs, or works with people with
disabilities across the lifespan.
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