The Ohio State Fair is returning with all of its adored staples: deep-fried foods, a petting zoo and, of course, a massive cow carved out of butter.
This year it will also feature changes that make these attractions more accessible for all Ohioans, including sensory-friendly rooms and discounted mobility tech.
Executive Director of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) Kevin Miller said the state has worked to ensure that accessibility to the Ohio festival increases every year.
“We want to make sure everybody has the ability to live up to their God-given potential,” Miller said. “That includes being able to have fun and come to the Ohio State Fair.”
More sensory rooms and experiences
The State Fair’s attractions often are loud and packed with people. Miller said that’s why the event has a sensory friendly morning on Thursday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., where music and flashing lights on the rides will be turned off.
The hope is it can make it easier for families like Miller’s. He has a son with autism, who sometimes experiences sensory issues.
“Lights and sound, for you, it might not be an issue,” he said. “But for someone who has those types of sensitivities, it's like someone taking a bullhorn right up to your face.”
In addition, the fair will have a sensory friendly playground and a quiet room in the Voinovich Livestock and Trade Center, where Ohioans who feel overstimulated can seek refuge.
“There's gonna be activities and fidget toys [so they can] reset before they go back out and enjoy the rest of the fair.”
Increasing access to mobility devices
Miller said he heard from last year’s fairgoers that traversing the fairgrounds was an obstacle – especially since renting mobility vehicles can be expensive. The Ohio State Fair charges $75 per rental each day.
So, the fair is offering a coupon for $10 off electric scooters for individuals with a physical or mental disability.
“This was our first step … to help navigate that cost and make it more affordable for people who have those types of physical disabilities to stay longer at the fair,” he said. “I think that that's an investment where you're gonna get more back: If you can get people to stay, they're gonna buy an extra lemon shake maybe, or an extra elephant ear or go to a concert.”
Improving every year
Many of the state fair’s past accessibility initiatives are continuing into this year.
The fair offers universal changing tables for adults who need continence care, state-fair specific communication boards for those who are nonverbal and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for more than 300 events over the course of the 12-day fair.
“Individuals will be able to come to everything from ax throwing to dog acts to the Grand Champion Sale that's done at the end of the fair. And everything in between,” he said.
The challenge, Miller said, is accommodating a wide range of activities for different types of disabilities. For example, he said, they’ve added audio descriptions of the beloved butter cow so that blind and visually impaired people can enjoy the caloric creation too.
“It's really about being welcoming, saying, ‘We want you to come, we want you to have a good time,’” he said.
Bringing more people in
Miller said each year, he hears from families who came to the fair for the first time, thanks to the increased accommodations.
Last year, he said a family of four, all with hearing impairments, thanked him after attending the Grand Opening Ceremony with ASL interpreters.
“They said, ‘We've never been to the fair. We never thought about going to the fair because we didn't think there was anything [that let us] enjoy everything that the fair has.’”
He hopes the fair can continue to make more Ohioans feel included in the state’s biggest celebration of agriculture and amusement.
