Changing course

Last weekend, my husband and I went to the Jack Johnson concert at Ruoff Music Center. We did something we do not normally do and bought box seats. We had never sat there before and wanted to see if it would be an accessible experience.

I did an accessibility review at Ruoff a couple of years ago for Hamilton County Tourism, but they have made some recent updates, and we wanted to check things out.

Ruoff still has their accessibility coordinator, Nate, working there. It was great to get to see him again and catch up. He does such a fantastic job assisting concertgoers with disabilities.

When we bought our seats, we had the accessible seat filter on and did our due diligence to make sure the seats were indeed accessible. We thought we had our bases covered, but we never truly know for sure if a place is accessible until we arrive.

When we finally got into the venue, after some long rain delays, we were eager to get to our seats and experience what we had paid for. When we showed the usher our tickets, she said, “You know that has stairs to get into it, right?”

We told her we did not know that, and we even checked that out before buying the tickets.

The staff at Ruoff could not have been more accommodating. They put us in some accessible seats until they could try and find an open and accessible box seat. It turns out, there are some box seats that are wheelchair accessible and do not have stairs.

Sadly, they were all taken, so they found us another spot where we had a good view and provided us with a server to check on us and get us what we needed, which was part of what we had paid for with the seats we originally purchased.

Another benefit were the bathrooms we were able to access with our tickets. It was nice not to have to fight a huge crowd in a wheelchair to use the restroom. There was a nice accessible stall that I was able to easily get into and out of in my wheelchair.

When the concert was over and the crowd thinned out quite a bit, we decided to go and look closer at some of the different seating options to make note of where some good spots would be for next time.

As we were heading out my husband said, “there’s Jack Johnson.” Sure enough, he was crouched down at the back of the pavilion watching the firework display. He smiled and said hello when he saw we noticed him. He graciously took a picture with us.

He was a kind soul, just as he portrays himself on stage. We were thrilled at the chance meeting.

While our evening did not go as planned, and an obstacle or two was thrown in our way, we made the most of it. When people are kind and help to make different arrangements when things are not accessible, that helps ease the frustration and disappointment.

Changing course and holding loose expectations is something that I have learned will be helpful as a person with a disability. Often, that is our experience when we go to public events like a concert.

Every time I have been to Ruoff in recent years, I have been met with kindness from people who want to help make it an enjoyable experience.

I could not help but look up at the lawn as we were scoping out seating options. I had a moment of deep sadness remembering times when I was younger and used to climb that incline with my friends. It was not easy, but I did it.

I released that sadness and lived in gratitude that I was still able to go and experience a great summer concert, just in a different way now. Meeting Jack Johnson was the cherry on top!

Until next time …

Amy Shinneman is a former National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, disability blogger, freelance writer, wife, and mom of two boys. She is the recipient of The Reporter’s Winter 2025 Ink-Stained Wretch award. You can find her blog at humblycourageous.org and reach her on Instagram @ashinneman.