With Halloween coming up, here are a few great ways to ensure your home is accessible for everyone to have a great time.
Trick-or-treating can be a fun time of year to interact with the community around you and pass out candy to the younger generation. There are a few ways you can make your home more inclusive and accessible to all trick-or-treaters. Let’s take a look at some helpful ideas to make your setup more accessible to all who may visit during the holiday.
Keep Sidewalks and Paths Clear
When placing decorations around your home, be sure to keep public sidewalks, driveways, and paths clear of decorations, both on the ground and hanging above. This ensures clear lines of sight, easy accessibility for walking or wheelchair users, and keeps the ground even and easy to navigate for people of all ages.
For extra ease of use, consider fun, festive decorations with lighting along paths or sidewalks to add light to make walking easier. There are many solar-powered or rechargeable path lighting that may work well for this use.
Limit Background Music or Noise Effects
When creating your Halloween décor or decorations, be sure to keep noise machines, sound systems, and background sounds to a minimum. This ensures all who visit your home can have a safe environment that is not overwhelming and fosters easy communication.
Avoid Masks that Cover the Face or Mouth
When choosing your costume, try to avoid facial masks or wraps that cover your mouth. Some people rely on lipreading or facial cues to listen or understand the conversation, and reducing these sightlines or covering them entirely can lead to difficulties or frustrations in communication. Consider using makeup or face paint to recreate an idea while maintaining communication.
Avoid Strobe or Flashing Lights
Strobe or flashing lights may create a scene of spooky delight for some, but others may have a sensitivity or dislike the flashing lights. Try using other forms of lighting, like orange string lights, faux candles, or dimly lit decorations to set the scene. You’ll still light your yard for others to visit and enjoy without creating a hazard for some.
Ask Your Guests About Their Preferences
If you’re hosting a Halloween dinner, party, or casual get-together, ask your guests if they have any preferences with the menu, seating, or special requests. If you’re hosting a Halloween dinner party and know your guest has hearing loss, ask them if there are any additional preferences they may have to make their holiday easier or more enjoyable, like seating in a circle, written tags for food items, or a quiet space for relaxing away from the hustle and bustle. There are quite a few tips to hosting a dinner party that you can incorporate, too.
Keeping Halloween festivities fun and inclusive for all takes just a little planning and preparation. You’ll be able to have an exciting and safe Halloween with others in your community. Be sure to check out these additional Halloween tips, and enjoy the festivities this year. Visit the CapTel blog for more fun blog posts.
