MINNEAPOLIS — The sights and sounds are so much to take in at Twin Cities Pride, but for some it’s too much to take in.
“When someone experiences a lot of sensory dysregulation, sounds get louder, lights get brighter, sounds get stranger, and it just becomes difficult to stay calm and stay calm,” says Jillian Nelson of the Autism Society of Minnesota.
It’s a feeling Nelson knows well.
“As an autistic adult, I hadn’t been to Pride in seven years because it had become way too big and loud and there was no intermission anywhere,” she said.
Now she’s a regular, thanks to the sensory tents she helped set up in downtown Loring Park.
“It started with this little 30-by-30-foot tent. Now we’re moving to a 20-by-30-foot tent,” Nelson said.
This year there will also be roving volunteers to help calm people down or get them to safety. People in green shirts will answer questions.
“We’ve added an accessibility guide that tells you which areas are super wheelchair friendly, and which paths to take that aren’t great from a wheelchair perspective,” said Andi Otto, director of Twin Cities Pride.
There will be an accessible stand where you can watch the parade and the bathrooms will also be different.
“We also added changing stations for adults because we realized that not everyone is a child, so we need to make sure we cater to everyone who has an accessibility need in the park,” Otto said. “If there is one part of our community that doesn’t feel welcome, then I haven’t done my job. Because if you can’t come to Pride, no matter who you are, and you don’t feel welcome, then something is wrong. “
They will also be having a sensory-friendly, low-key drag show on Sunday morning, because they believe everyone deserves to have fun. The show starts at 10:00 in the park while the parade is on Hennepin.
“Creating Pride is about creating community and for me, creating community is about creating accessibility so that everyone belongs,” Nelson said.
There will also be a Sober Pride area where people can answer questions about recovery resources.
