New accessibility resource at Ruoff Music Center

Join me as I take you through a night at Ruoff Music Center located in Noblesville, from a wheelchair users' point of view. I will cover the accessibility experience as an ambulatory wheelchair user.  I will take you through arrival to exiting and everything in between!

Know before you go

As do many concert venues, Ruoff Music Center only allow clear bags (no bigger than 12”x 6”x 12”), or a small clutch bag (no bigger than 6”x9”). They do allow you to bring in a sealed bottle of water, or an empty reusable water bottle. They do not allow coolers. If you are sitting in the lawn, they do permit you to bring your own chair, but it must be no more than 9” off the ground. There are folding chairs on the accessible seating pads in the lawn area if you need a chair higher than 9” off the ground, but you would have to stay in that area to use those chairs.

Arriving/parking

Upon arriving at Ruoff Music Center, I entered off of the Boden Rd entrance, which is the west side of the venue. This is where you will be directed to the accessible parking lot. Once you pull up to the lot, a parking attendant will ask if you if you have a wheelchair. If you do, they will direct you to one of about 30 spots that are specifically held for wheelchair users. This area is paved and has easy access to get to the path that takes you into the concert. Note: These spots fill up fast. We arrived about an hour before the concert began, and there were only a few left when we arrived. I would suggest arriving at least an hour early if you need one of these spots.

There is also another accessible lot that can be accessed off of the 146^th Street entrance, located just in front of the premiere parking lot.

If you need the accessible lot, but do not have a wheelchair, you will be directed to a larger accessible lot. This is a gravel lot. They do have a golf cart that intermittently goes around to see if someone needs a ride to the paved path to get in.

Entering/ticketing

Ruoff Music Center is an outdoor concert venue and somewhat hilly. There are plenty of flat spots once inside the venue, but also some inclines here and there for sure. Your first stop will be a bag check for those small bags. You will then go through a metal detector. Since I was in my wheelchair, they had a small area to the side where both my husband and I were scanned with a wand. It was very quick. We were then directed to the ticket gate, where we entered the venue.

New Accessibility Services

Ruoff has recently added an accessibility coordinator. Nate was up by the information booth at the west entrance, and eager to show us around. He took us and showed us that they now have accessible landing pads in the lawn section. There are two of these sections, and each has a nice ramp that is easy to access and maneuver. He also pointed out several other seating options for those with disabilities in the pavilion. They are scattered here and there, and I would say there are plenty of options to choose from when purchasing your tickets.

Getting to your seat

There are many people working at the venue that can help you find your seat if needed. Nate was able to show us to our seats. There was a space for my wheelchair, and my husband had a folding chair that he sat in beside me. The seats were easy to access, and getting in and out of the section was very easy. I was concerned that I would spend the evening looking at the backsides of those in front of me, since generally most people stand during a concert. Luckily, I was able to see the stage down the aisle I was sitting on, plus they have two huge video screens on each side of the stage, which also helps for viewing if you can’t stand.

Restrooms

There are several different restroom locations on the property. The particular restroom we chose to use was down a bit of an incline. We found it was less crowded, and there were also two separate family/accessible restrooms at that location, which was great.  I didn’t have to fight the crowds in the larger restrooms.

Drinks/Food

There are many different choices for food and beverages. It’s a spacious area where all these things are located, so the crowds are very manageable with a little patience. There is ample space to maneuver a wheelchair to get to each food/beverage line.

Exiting

My husband and I chose to leave a few minutes early to avoid a huge crowd rush. Because we did that, there were no crowds, and we exited the parking lot with no waiting time. If you do not want to leave early, I would suggest waiting for the crowds to thin out. While well lit, it is still a bit dark upon exiting. With the masses of people leaving at the same time, it could definitely get a little overwhelming trying to get through in a wheelchair, or if you have trouble walking.

Accessibility Coordinator

As I mentioned, there has been a new position created to further make Ruoff Music Center a more accessible experience. Nate does an amazing job at answering questions about accessibility needs while you are visiting. He said that he plans to be involved in some changes that are upcoming at Ruoff concerning accessibility. We talked about how important it is for organizations to have someone who lives with a disability on board to help make these changes. It is so much more effective when the voice of a person with a disability can be involved when making these important changes to help those with disabilities to have the same shared experience as the other patrons. Making the experience as seamless as possible is key. Kudos to Ruoff Music Center for taking things in the right direction. I hope more organizations continue to follow suit. It was clear to see as we went around, that Nate has formed many relationships with some of the regular patrons with disabilities. A resource that will definitely be appreciated by the disability community.

Overall Experience

I found Ruoff Music Center to be a very accessible experience. In addition to the accessiblity coordinator, they have a great website with a plethora of information to answer your accessibility questions before you go. If you are looking for an accessible concert experience, I would say Ruoff Music Center is a great option.

Amy Shinneman is a resident of Hamilton County Indiana. She has a disability called Bethlem Myopathy, which is a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. She is an ambulatory wheelchair user. She is married and has two children. She writes a weekly blog called “Humbly Courageous”, as well as a weekly column in The Hamilton County Reporter called “Disability in the City”. She served as the National Ambassador for The Muscular Dystrophy Association for two years. She strives to be the person for someone that she always needed in her life growing up. Someone who truly understood what life was like living with a disability. She is passionate about sharing these experiences that highlight different venues accessibility features. She understands the importance of “know before you go”, and the comfort that provides to know you are going to a place where your accessibility needs will be met.