accessABILITY Day brings an adapted fair experience back for 2022

accessABILITY Day returns to the N.C. State Fair on Sunday, Oct. 16. The special day, which is presented by Bandwidth, lasts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. It’s an effort to make the fair more welcoming and inclusive for all North Carolinians regardless of ability. Many elements of the fair will be changed to be less stimulating, less distracting and generally calmer during the four hours. Kate Conner, who is a Bandwidth employee, is an advocate for accessibility and inclusiveness everywhere because her daughter is blind. So she’s a particularly big fan of accessABILITY DAY. “One of the…

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“Touch and See” offers interactive display for Fairgoers with visual impairments

The Handicrafts and Hobbies competition showcases the work of some of our state’s most talented painters, wood carvers, quilters, glassblowers and potters. In the Commercial Building, you’ll find handmade items created by young and old alike. However, the displays come with a warning: please don’t touch the crafts. Judith Uhrick, superintendent of Handicrafts and Hobbies, hopes to change that with a new exhibit. She and others developed an idea for “Touch and See” – an interactive, tactile display that makes Handicrafts and Hobbies more welcoming to those with visual impairments. At Touch and See, participants can hold and manipulate different…

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