Overwhelmed by the Grand Prix of Long Beach? City’s sensational new trailer is here to help – Click Telegram

Anaheim resident Kaleigh Ryan’s son is into racing.

However, despite living in the same area as one of the most popular IndyCar road races in the country, they only ever attended NASCAR events – and not the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Until now.

Ryan and his 5-year-old son, who is autistic and cannot speak, attended the Grand Prix on Friday, April 19.

But attending the Grand Prix can be chaotic: The crowd is huge, requiring a lot of walking to get through. Thousands of people attend each day of the Grand Prix. And the engine noise makes it hard to hear your own thoughts.

So at some point, Ryan’s son needed a break.

And they found the right place: the new emotional trailer in the lifestyle show.

“We’ve been here since 10:30 in the morning so I think he was just overwhelmed after being in the sun all day,” Ryan, 28, said. “He was doing well until he saw another child crying and got emotional.”

Ryan said they often look for emotional spots at the events they go to. Her son, she said, is “very emotional-seeking.”

The mobile trailer, operated by the Long Beach health department, is called the Sensory Zone for Everyone. It is aimed at people with sensory processing difficulties but welcomes all. The Grand Prix was the first trailer for the community.

Some neurological disabilities, such as autism and attention deficit disorder, make people hypersensitive or unable to process bright lights, loud sounds, texture and touch, according to Institute of Child Psychiatry, a non-profit organization that aims to help children struggling with mental health or learning challenges.

Emotional overload can leave people overwhelmed, anxious and depressed, said Laath Martin, spokeswoman for the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services.

The city’s Disability Access and Functional Needs Unit noticed a gap in services for people with sensory needs when planning for a public health emergency, Martin said.

The soundproof trailer, which has a ramp or entry point in it, was tested to be more balanced and inclusive in response to the gap; it will be used in emergency situations and in community events.

The trailer, the first of its kind in Long Beach, features comfortable seating, tactile barriers, sensory wall panels that work similarly to toys, noise-canceling earplugs, dimming lights, fidget tubes with LED lighting, padded lap pads and blankets.

The emotional trailer had already been visited by more than 150 people, as of 11 a.m. Friday, Martin said. By 3 p.m., more than 400 people, including Long Beach Councilwoman Mary Zendejas, were standing by the trailer.

“The Grand Prix has a lot of noise and a lot of emotion,” Martin said, “so this is a really good opportunity to be here.”

Orange resident Allard Chu used an emotional trailer because of his son and nephew.

“My 2-year-old is very interested in different colors and all the fun things in them,” Chu, 36, said. “I’ve never seen this emotional scene here before.”

Like Ryan and Chu, many other parents stopped by to let their children play or rest. But adults also participated.

Kim Vuong, one of the city’s accessibility advocates, said her emotional addition to the trailer was “everything.” Vuong has cerebral palsy and uses an electronic speaker to communicate. He also chairs the Long Beach Citizens Advisory Commission on Disabilities.

Vuong worked with Esmeralda Garcia, the city’s handicap access and performance needs coordinator, for the past year to get this trailer.

“It’s not just for kids, which is not talked about a lot,” Garcia, 39, said. “Adults are sometimes left out of conversations about sensory needs, along with the elderly and people with invisible disabilities. People who don’t identify as neurodiverse also need a break, so it’s for everyone.”

Martin and Garcia said they hope the trailer inspires people from other cities to create something similar in their own cities.

“We’re all trying to do more for our community,” Garcia said.