Ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all delegates is a priority for industry professionals planning their next industry meeting or event. Lucky for them, Cleveland’s meeting spaces, surrounding hotels and attractions have plenty of accessibility features, even leading the way on some, like sensory inclusion. Here are just a few of the many locations that offer accessibility options for your next meeting.
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, Hilton Cleveland Downtown
As one of the city’s premier meeting and event locations, the 410,000-square-foot convention
center in Downtown Cleveland is an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant center and makes welcoming all guests a priority. Restrooms and water fountains throughout the space are fully accessible, and walkways and ramps – as well as elevators on each level – make getting around easier for everyone.
Signs within the convention center contain Braille text as well as raised characters for visually impaired visitors. Wheelchairs are also available upon request at guest services desks located at the Lakeside Avenue and St. Clair Avenue entrances.
The Hilton Cleveland Downtown, which is connected to the convention center, offers dozens of accessibility options, including guest rooms with mobility features such as wide doors and roll-in showers. Hearing accessible guest rooms have a visual alarm, notification devices for the doorbell/door knock and incoming telephone calls.
Rocket Arena, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
While rock music might be best played at a volume of 11, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame knows that some music lovers might have sensory sensitivities or challenges. The venue offers weighted lap pads and sensory bags filled with fidget toys, noise-dampening headphones, communication cards and sunglasses, not to mention quiet areas for a brief rest.
Rocket Arena, home to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lake Erie Monsters, is one of the first arenas in North America to also offer sensory bags, lap blankets and quiet spaces for guests at any game or event. “Invisible disabilities are the vast majority of disabilities out there,” said Patrick Scanlon, Senior Director of Guest Experience, Guest Services, Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Arena. “So, the more we learn, the better environment we have to build to truly be an inclusive venue.”
Part of ADA compliance is being inclusive to people who are deaf or hearing impaired. The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, founded in 1921, offers certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to help organizations or groups provide for anyone who might benefit. Many of the center’s interpreters are nationally certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).
With an increased national focus on mental health, accessibility to behavioral health services is also important. Benjamin Rose Institute of Aging offers a suite of mental and behavioral health services to individuals 55 and older, as well as events facilities for businesses of all kinds. The institute offers therapeutic behavioral services, community psychiatric supportive treatment, counseling/psychotherapy and mental health day treatment.