Zainab Al-Mehdar
Shawville Sept 1, 2022
This year to help families with kids who have disabilities the Shawville Fair had a sensory hour.
The idea was suggested by Kendal Lang, a board member who wanted to try the idea in this year’s fair as she has seen it implemented in other places. She felt it can be a way to allow families with kids who have a sensitivity to lights and sounds or a disability to participate, as they might otherwise just skip the fair.
“I just thought it’d be nice to have kids with disabilities to have extra time to get on the rides or actually participate in the ride because some of them have to wear headphones or they don’t like the lights or the noise or they get headaches. It can be really challenging,” said Lang.
On Sept. 1 from 4 to 5 p.m., no one else was allowed at the midway, and they had all the games except two operating with no lights and no loud music. Lang explained that kids got a chance to take their time and enjoy the rides without feeling rushed.
In order to avoid lines, they had the families pre-register, and the people operating the rides were good with giving the kids the time to enjoy the rides, she said.
They were expecting around 10 kids but had a great turnout with about 32 kids.
Lang highlighted that the feedback she got was overwhelmingly great, parents sent emails thanking them and board members got hugs from parents who got to see their kids enjoy the fair for the first time.
“Parents were thanking us like this is life-changing for their kids or that they really enjoyed having the sensory hour and some families said oh, we don’t go to the fair at all. So like this will make us go,” she said.
For Lang there was also a personal connection. She did it in hopes to get her cousin who is autistic to be able to enjoy the fair too. “It was nice he got to try out the rides and do them at his own pace,” she said.
When asked if they will bring it back next year she said: “we’ll definitely do it again.”
