Nothing says summer in the lower Mid-Hudson region more than the Ulster County Fair. Since 1838, the fair has been a staple in the community, and each year nearby residents flock to the fairgrounds to seek out the memorable smell of fried food, the loud sounds of rides, and the variety of flashing lights.

While many are drawn to the bustling, lively nature of the fair for a night of fun with friends and family, individuals with sensory sensitivities can find the bustling landscape incredibly overwhelming. From spinning rides like carousels and ferris wheels, to the large variety of fried foods and loud noises, it’s easy to understand how fairground fun can turn into frustration.

When staff members at the fair began to recognize the difficulties these sensitive folks were facing, they knew it was time for a change. The fairground’s manager, Gary Newkirk, worked with vendors to coordinate times where rides would shut down, or limit their lights and sound in order to make it more accessible for families and individuals with sensory needs. Signs were also put out as a caution in areas of high activity or noise.

Organizers of the fair have made some adjustments. For the first hour, 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday, no rides will be available. Fairgoers can enjoy the agricultural tents and vendors without disruption. On Wednesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, rides are available with no lights or music.

These changes sparked the idea for another way the fair could be made accessible. In 2023, on behalf of the Ulster County Agricultural Society (UCAS), Board Member Jamie Churchill collaborated with Dr. Barbara Tischler Hastie of Ulster BOCES and Renee Falanga-Brenner of the Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL) to create and launch the Sensory Safe Space.

Originally, the space was just an old barn on the fairground, but was quickly transformed before the 2023 fair with air conditioning, new flooring, and shelving. It was then outfitted with sensory-friendly lighting, textured pads, and spaces where visitors could sit and relax.

As people filed in, items like pinwheels, fidget poppers, or noise-canceling headphones were made available to them in. Hastie, who has taught and been involved with special education for over 20 years, believes the “sheer act of having a tangible item is a focused way to meet sensory needs’’. By prompting visitors to interact with objects they could touch and play with, volunteers found it helped participants feel more relaxed and prepared to return to the fair.

The largest misconception about the Sensory Safe Space is that it is targeted solely for sensory sensitive or special needs children.

“It’s not about age, it’s about accessing a need,” Hastie says. “We had people coming in as adults saying, ‘Wow, this really helped me.”

As Hastie pursues her work at Ulster BOCES building learning structures for students of nearby school districts; she continues a strive for accessibility at the Sensory Safe Space. To clear up the common misconceptions of what “access” truly means, Hastie says, “providing access does not need to mean that you have an IEP [Individualized Education Program]. It is something that anybody with needs would benefit from”. Because of this, she feels “having access is a critical component missing in many organizations. [The Sensory Safe Space] may be meeting ADA standards, but that’s really just the minimum!” she says.

The passion of the team behind the Sensory Safe Space truly shines. Since last year, they’ve already begun improving the setup of their barn for the 2024 fair. A donation enabled them to replace their front curtain with a door, and they have their eyes set on adding a swing or rocking chair to the outside of the barn to entice visitors to sit and relax.

Renee Falanga-Brenner, Co-Chair of the project, made this sensory room the first of its kind in Ulster County, and the small building has already made a huge impact.

Alongside her work in Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL), Brenner has introduced the ThinkDIFFERENTLY campaign in Ulster County which is an initiative that is looking to inspire individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities to recognize the inherent potential of any individual, regardless of their ability.

Additionally, Dr. Hastie and her team at Ulster BOCES have begun to institute a new model of education through project-based learning to satisfy a deeper, more retentive education for students. “Once their schools get involved, teachers love it. It helps them feel like they’ve got more actionable tools than reactive ones”, Hastie says.

If you are interested in donating sensory-friendly items, your time, or money to this project please contact Co-Chairs Dr. Barbara Tischler Hastie (bhastie@ulsterboces.org) and Renee Falanga-Brenner (rfalanga-brenner@rcal.org).

The Ulster County Fair runs July 30 through August 4 at 249 Libertyville Road in New Paltz. Visit ulstercountyfair.com for full schedule and ticket prices.