LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: accessible parking spaces

  • Ohio State Fair 2024 Enhances Accessibility Through OOD Mobile Unit and Auditory Descriptions

    Ohio State Fair 2024 Enhances Accessibility Through OOD Mobile Unit and Auditory Descriptions

    Columbus, Ohio – The countdown is on for the highly anticipated 2024 Ohio State Fair, running from July 24 through August 4, 2024. As excitement builds, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and the Ohio State Fair are proud to announce their continued commitment to accessibility.

    Visitors can look forward to a wealth of resources designed to ensure everyone can fully enjoy the fair. Guest information services booths are strategically placed throughout the fairgrounds, offering daily schedules, maps, accessibility guides, and directions. For those seeking additional support, the OOD mobile unit is stationed near the Lausche Youth Exploration Space, providing comprehensive accessibility information.

    OOD staff and the new mobile unit
    OOD staff and the new mobile unit.

    Fairgoers can enjoy free wheelchair/mobility device charging stations, technology to connect people who are blind or have low vision with an agent who can help with navigation, American Sign Language interpretation, audio descriptions, a dedicated sensory-friendly morning, and two universal changing tables.

    “Ohio is the heart of it all, and we want people of all abilities to be able to enjoy everything our great State Fair has to offer,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “The Ohio State Fair provides a wealth of supports for individuals with disabilities, and this year our goal is to make it the most enjoyable yet for every person who comes through the gates.”

    OOD partnered with the Fair to make complimentary wheelchair/mobility device charging stations available throughout the grounds. The stations are in marked areas in the Bricker MarketPlace Building, Kasich Hall, the Lausche Youth Exploration Space, Natural Resources Park pavilion, Voinovich Livestock and Trade Center, and WCOL Celeste Center.

    “The Ohio State Fair offers a rejuvenating break from work and our daily routine,” said OOD Director Kevin L. Miller. “Since fairgoers usually spend the entire day on the grounds, it’s important that charging stations are available to sustain wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility devices.”

    Also made available with support from OOD and the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, fairgoers who are blind or have low vision can use Aira – which stands for Access to Information Remote Assistance – to connect, for free, to a remote agent via a cell phone or through specially-fashioned glasses. Both the application and the glasses allow the agent to access visual information, which is especially helpful for navigating a large, unfamiliar area. The agent can also locate users through GPS and direct them to places of interest.

    For fairgoers whose preferred method of communication is American Sign Language (ASL), interpretation will be offered at these events, with no reservations required: the Fair’s opening ceremony on July 24, the Sale of Champions Livestock Auction on August 4, daily at the Natural Resources Park Great Lakes Timber (lumberjack) shows and the Marvelous Mutts shows at The Dog House, and for all ticketed concerts in the WCOL Celeste Center. The Fair’s daily schedule will feature additional events available in ASL. For Ohioans who are Deaf or hard of hearing and use ASL, please watch a video about the Ohio State Fair ASL interpretation.

    In collaboration with the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI), the Autism Society of Central Ohio, and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, the Ohio State Fair is turning down the lights and volume to host a sensory-friendly morning on Thursday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fairgoers will have an opportunity to ride the rides with no flashing lights or music, visit the Fair’s educational activities, and explore many activities in the shade of the Natural Resources Park. “On sensory-friendly morning, the sights, sounds, and stimuli are reduced to allow individuals to experience our incredible State Fair in a way that helps them feel more comfortable and engaged,” said Shawn Henry, OCALI Executive Director. Find more information and resources on OCALI’s sensory-friendly morning webpage.

    This year’s Fair will offer two universal adjustable height changing stations. While one station returns to its previous location in the Ag Pro Taft Coliseum family restroom, a new station has been added to the newly renovated First Aid Center, north of Kasich Hall. These spacious and private facilities cater to fairgoers’ accessibility needs, strategically placed at opposite ends of the grounds to ensure convenience for all attendees.

    “At the Ohio State Fair, we believe that accessibility is not just a checkbox; it’s a continuous journey of improvement and inclusivity,” said Adam Heffron, Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds Executive Director. “We’re dedicated to building upon our existing accessibility efforts, working diligently to create an environment that is welcoming and accessible to all.”

    Additional accessibility efforts at the Ohio State Fair include the following:

    • Ample accessible parking spaces
    • Buildings and many restrooms are accessible
    • Motorized scooter and non-motorized wheelchair rentals
    • A Quiet Room situated just east of Central Park, equipped to provide sensory relief
    • Communication boards for fairgoers who are nonverbal, available at all guest information services booths and on the Ohio State Fair accessibility webpage, featuring Fair-specific symbols to facilitate navigation and encourage exploration of Fair offerings
    • Accessible seats for concerts in the WCOL Celeste Center can be purchased at the same cost directly from Ticketmaster (to view accessible seats, click the “filters” button, then toggle on the “accessibility” button to see)
    • Free assisted listening devices for use at the WCOL Celeste Center, Main Street Stage presented by Ohio Lottery, and Wellcare Gazebo Stage
    • Audio descriptions for select exhibits and attractions, available within the Ohio State Fair app
    • Art Possible Ohio exhibit in Kasich Hall C, featuring artwork by Ohio artists with disabilities
    • Service animal relief areas with pick-up bags and waste receptacles at the Rhodes Center Lawn, Central Park, and Natural Resources Park
    • Designated accessible seating at additional stages
    • Accessible play area at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Park
    • Accessible picnic tables throughout the Fair

    Discover more at the Ohio State Fair’s accessibility webpage. For questions, reach out to info@expo.ohio.gov or call 614-644-3247.

    OOD is the state agency responsible for empowering Ohioans with disabilities through employment, disability determinations, and independence.

  • A proposal for directional signs to accessible parking in Historic Downtown Loveland

    A proposal for directional signs to accessible parking in Historic Downtown Loveland

    March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

    by David Miller

    Dear City Hall,

    I ask you to install directional signs in our Historic District that point to accessible parking spaces.

    To honor National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month I decided to revisit the draft of a proposal I worked on from 2014 until 2016. Most of the proposal was eventually approved by Loveland City Council and the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission and is now adopted law in the City. I started the project in 2014 when resident, Amy Clawson raised concerns to me. Amy said that unfortunately, a very common problem for people who have different needs is in finding good, appropriate parking that can accommodate their physical or health issues. She pointed me to several instances of inadequate and poorly marked parking spaces in the Historic District. After taking an inventory around town, I published this story: Accessible parking; out of sight, out of mind, neglected and abused.

    This nearly invisible accessible parking space was at McCoy Park in 2014. There should have been a pole-mounted sign and the paint on the pavement had all but disappeared.

    Because most spaces in Loveland in 2016, whether on public or private parking lots were not in compliance with either Ohio or Federal law, the proposal was to mark all accessible parking spaces in the City in a consistent manner and for City Hall to choose a deliberate pathway to bring them all into lawful compliance.

    This was the neglected condition of the accessible parking sign near the restroom at Nisbet Park in 2014.

    It’s intuition that leads you to rather easily locate the accessible parking spaces at Kroger or shopping centers, however, since most businesses in Historic Downtown do not provide their own parking, directional signs as well as signage at the parking spots themselves are needed.

    At the time I started my research, accessible parking was out of sight, out of mind, neglected, and abused. During special events, they are still mostly out of sight and mind.

    I received the full support and helpful suggestions from both City Manager Dave Kennedy and City Engineer Cindy Cindy Klopfenstein as I crafted and illustrated the plan. Kennedy from his end ensured that the planning commission and city council gave careful thought to the plan and secured their approvals.

    When built, the Trails at East Loveland was the first new development to fully comply with the new requirements for accessible parking spaces.

    The plan as adopted requires that all new parking spaces from new development must tell the Planning and Zoning Commission how they intend to comply with the new requirements. Any repaving, recoating, or new stripping of existing parking lots must now also use the guidelines.

    Also adopted at the time was a policy requirement that all applications, whether from private groups or City Hall who filled out an application for special events describe on the application how they will provide the number of accessible parking spaces based on their anticipated attendance.

    The Accessible Parking Sign used by the State of New York

    The original plan I proposed was to use a new universal design that at the time was being adopted around the country, but through research of Ohio Department of Transportation law, I discovered that although they were considering the new design they had not yet made it their design of choice. The newer “fluid movement” design is meant to accentuate a more positive image of accessible needs rather than an expression of one using the parking spot as being “handicapped”.

    Also, one idea I had in 2016 was to have directional signs placed throughout our Downtown Historic District pointing to where a person could find accessible parking, without driving around looking for them. 

    Thus, in light of it being National Disabilities Awareness Month I have revisited my earlier proposal and now suggest “wayfinding” directional signs in the Historic District so people can find the hidden gems closest to where they want to go.

    I propose permanently mounted signs as well as portable ones that would be brought out for special events such as Christmas in Loveland, parades, and the Independence Day event.

    The Direction Sign I propose for Historic Downtown Loveland would tell visitors and shoppers where to find an accessible parking space and that the Sweetheart City of Loveland, Ohio is a welcoming community.

    Thank you for considering my suggestion.

    Best regards,

    David Miller

    The Accessible Parking Space Guide Approved in 2016