DSCC team members will be at the fair’s Sensory Station on Aug. 7-10 and help during special sensory-friendly Sunflower Hours on Aug. 9

We are excited to once again partner with the Illinois State Fair to support inclusive, accessible fun for families!

The 2025 Illinois State Fair is happening in Springfield from Aug. 7-17.

Our Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) team members will be working at the fair’s Sensory Station. The fair is also offering sensory-friendly Sunflower Hours and other programming to make the fair a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for all.

DSCC at the Sensory Station

Thursday, Aug. 7, to Sunday, Aug. 10
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Our DSCC team will be at the fair’s Sensory Station from Thursday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 10.

The Sensory Station is inside the Emmerson Building, just off Main Street and Brian Raney Avenue in the center of the fairgrounds. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It is an air-conditioned, dedicated quiet zone with activities and resources to help visitors regroup and refocus.

The Sensory Station’s features and activities include:

• Calming pods
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Foam block pit
• Stuffed animal “petting zoo”
• Coloring station and more!

These tools and activities are for children and adults who need help processing the sights, smells, noises and crowds at the fair.

Nearby, the fair’s First Aid Station has rooms that families can use for adult changing stations as well as tube feedings and other needs. Volunteers from SIU Medicine operate the First Aid Station in the Emmerson Building Annex, across from the Dairy Building on Central Avenue. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Our DSCC team will also have a tent outside the Sensory Station on these four days. We will have coloring activities and information about our programs and services for families. Be sure to stop by and see us!

Sunflower Hours

Saturday, Aug. 9
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
 
Enjoy a quieter fair experience during Sunflower Hours on Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. During this time, the fair will adjust certain programs and activities to create a more calming environment for children and adults with sensory processing sensitivities.

The fair has Sunflower Hours stickers available for families to use during this timeframe. This sticker allows fair visitors with sensory sensitivities to enjoy select amusement rides for free during the Sunflower Hours. Riders must have the Sunflower Hours sticker and an adult and/or caregiver accompanying them.

DSCC has a limited number of stickers available for our program participants. To request a Sunflower Hours sticker, please email dscc@uic.edu with your name and your participant’s name by Aug. 1.

We will send stickers on a first-come, first-served basis.

All families may visit the Sensory Station during the Sunflower Hours event to get more stickers. The stickers will be available while supplies last.

Conservation World, located at the fairgrounds’ Eighth Street entrance, will also host Sunflower Hours on Aug. 9 and Aug. 12 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Fairgoers can explore the great outdoors in a more peaceful and sensory-friendly setting during these times.

Social Story and Other Resources

The Illinois State Fair has a social story to help you plan your visit to this year’s event. It is a step-by-step guide to help parents and caregivers explain what to expect during a visit to the Illinois State Fair.

You can find the social story and more details about the Sensory Station, Sunflower Hours, the entertainment schedule and more on the Illinois State Fair website.

We are proud to help support greater accessibility and inclusion at the 2025 Illinois State Fair.

Check out the video below to see more photos and activities at the Sensory Station: 

For more information about other sensory-friendly activities and events for children and families throughout Illinois, please visit our Events page and follow us on Facebook.

A federal program that provides free at-home COVID-19 tests, including tests with enhanced accessibility, has resumed.

Another round of free at-home COVID-19 tests is now available.

Starting in late September 2024, every U.S. household can order four free COVID-19 rapid tests.

Visit https://special.usps.com/testkits to place an order. (The website is available in Spanish and Chinese.) Here’s what you need to know:

• Each order includes four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.
• Orders will ship free starting Sept. 30, 2024.

If you need help placing an order, you can call (800) 232-0233 or (888) 720-7489 (TTY).

More accessible tests are also available for individuals who are blind or have low vision as well as people who have low manual dexterity. These tests are available while supplies last.

You can visit https://special.usps.com/testkits/accessible to order the accessible tests. Here is what you need to know:

• Each order includes one carton of four rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.
• Supplies are limited. Please do not order the accessible tests if you have options for using the standard tests.
• Orders will ship free starting the week of Sept. 30, 2024.

Visit the Administration for Community Living (ACL) Accessible Tests page fore more details about the features that make these tests more accessible.

Individuals with disabilities can also contact the Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) for help with available testing options, including ordering free at-home test kits.

Contact DIAL Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. through:

• Call, text or videophone at (888) 677-1199
• Email DIAL@usaginganddisability.org
• Start an online chat with an information specialist
• Connect to an agent in American Sign Language

For more information about COVID-19 test options, visit www.covidtests.gov/.

To learn more about how to access low- or no-cost COVID-19 tests from the federal government, you can contact any of these programs:

• A Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) health center
• A Test to Treat site
• An Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) location near you

Still have old COVID-19 tests at home? You can check the FDA’s website to see if your COVID-19 tests have extended expiration dates.

Here’s a list of day, overnight and virtual camps to help you find the right fit for your child

It’s hard to believe another school year will soon come to an end.

The good news is there are a variety of opportunities to help your children stay engaged and continue learning during the summer break.

We’ve compiled a list of virtual, day and overnight camps across Illinois for all ages.

Does your child want to make new friends? Develop new skills? Meet others with their condition or foster their independence?

Our 2022 summer camp list can help you find an opportunity that is the right fit.

Many camps are returning to in-person sessions this summer. Virtual camp opportunities are also available.

All these camps are accessible for a variety of special needs and abilities, including many of our program’s eligible medical conditions.

Our events calendar shows the summer camps listed by date. You may also search for events in your area by clicking on a regional office near you.

Know of an in-person or virtual summer camp opportunity to add to our list?

Send us the details at dscc@uic.edu. We’ll continue to update our list of camps and activities, so please check back often. 

Open-captioned performances, touch tours, audio-described performances and autism/sensory-friendly performances available for upcoming theater productions.

Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre offers a number of accessible shows this fall and winter for individuals with disabilities. A full list of the theater’s accessibility services and upcoming special performances is at www.lifelinetheatre.com/accessibility/.

For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, Lifeline has several open captioned performances of productions for children and adults that feature a text display of the words and sounds heard during a production.

For people who are blind or have low vision, the theater offers pre-show touch tours that let audience members visit the set, feel the props and costumes and meet the characters before the performance. Audio-described performances provide a live commentary by trained describers, interspersed with the actors’ dialogue.

Autism/sensory-friendly performances for children are also scheduled and provide a relaxed experience for individuals on the autism spectrum and others with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

Anyone interested in more information can contact Accessibility Coordinator Erica Foster directly at (773) 761-4477, ext. 703, or  access@lifelinetheatre.com, or in person at the Lifeline Box Office (6912 N. Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60626) Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.