Brenda Dugan's accessible date with my associate

September 28, 2013

Community Intervention

Accessible Date

Brenda Dugan

Myself and an associate had an outing at the North Georgia County Fair in Marietta.  Accessibility throughout the park was diverse. Some areas were congested due to the crowd of people at particular rides and vendor sites.  There were thick cables partially covered by mats that could be stumbled over easily if a person has some challenges walking. Because my associate's gait was slower than a non-handicapped person, it took longer to get to booths and attractions.  It was not easy  for her to have control of her own space because of clusters of people in many areas.  Often times someone would accidentally bump into her and she would bump into others as well . Children would run past her on their way to get on rides.  At one point she seemed as though she would lose her balance when walking through the crowd. Many people were at the fair and crowding was an issue in some areas.  Some people were bumping into each other as they were attempting to get to other locations. Space was further compromised when we purchased something to eat and needed to navigate to an area to sit down to enjoy our food. For this woman legibility would have been a greater concern if she was at the park without an escort.  There was a great deal of stimuli in that environment.  There were a lot of people, animals, food, bright lights, colorful rides, musical rides and sounds coming from a variety of games.  This event has significant meaning to her because it is an annual event that she has attended for many years and despite some inconvenience, she seemed to enjoy being there. The fair offers an overwhelming amount of sensory stimulation as a result of all of the attractions, bright colors, lights and sounds that were heard everywhere we went.  It was very easy for my associate to get distracted and she had to be redirected a few times.  There was no privacy at the fair.  It is designed to attract many people.  There was some opportunity for sociality at the fair.  Many of the vendors would make attempts to get people to come to their booth. When we would go to a booth, the person working there would take time to acknowledge the person who was with me. In some areas of the park it was more difficult to hear anyone speaking to you because of  people talking, music and loud sounds coming from the games and rides.

When we left the fair, we went to my home where there was more privacy. Legibility and accessibility was easier for my associate.  There was less crowding in my home so my associate did not have to compete for space.  This created  comfortable environment.  She was able to experience a sense of control because all of the attention and focus was on her.  This was meaningful to her because she was able to enjoy the arts and crafts in an environment that wasn't crowded or noisy.