Working with the Minneapolis-based organization Fraser, the stadium offers a sensory room for people with autism, and sensory packs with noise-canceling headphones.
Ribbon boards display closed captioning, and a couple of sections feature American Sign Language interpreters. Listening devices tied into the public address system are handed out upon request.
U.S. Bank Stadium “sets the standard for how modern entertainment venues can ensure all fans and attendees feel valued and accommodated,” Robert Thomas, PVA’s national president, said in a statement.
Inclusion is not just the right thing to do, said John Drum, the stadium’s general manager. It’s good business.
“At the end of the day, we want people to come in and attend events and make this the economic driver that this building should be for the city, for this community, for this state,” Drum said.
High school baseball teams stand for the national anthem before playing a state tournament game at CHS Field in 2024. (Shari L. Gross/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
With 7,210 seats, the Lowertown home of the St. Paul Saints is much smaller than the 69,000-seat U.S. Bank Stadium. But it has many of the same accessibility features, including wheelchair and companion seating on multiple levels of the ballpark. Thanks to the involvement of Hood, it also has an adult changing table.