Pitching Accessibility and Opportunity at the Ballpark

LaRue S. has been at nearly every Cubs home game this season, but the contest against the Detroit Tigers on the evening of July 22 was something special. 

That was the evening the Cubs hosted their first-ever Disability Pride Fair on Gallagher Way outside Wrigley Field. The event brought together nine disability service organizations (including The Chicago Lighthouse) to highlight the opportunities, programs, and resources available to members of Chicago’s disability community. 

“We were excited to partner with and help plan this resource fair with the Cubs as part of Disability Pride Month,” says Lora Nickels, The Lighthouse’s Senior Director of Individual Giving, who spearheaded planning for the event. “Hundreds of fans stopped by to learn more about us, step up to the plate to try beep baseball, and enjoy a performance by our in-house band, VisionQuest. The Lighthouse looks forward to partnering with the Cubs again in the future.” 

The event was a sort of homecoming for LaRue, who got a job in Cubs guest services at the start of the season through The Lighthouse’s employment services program. A lifelong Cubs fan, LaRue set foot inside Wrigley Field for the first time at his job interview. 

“I’d never been there before, so I’ve had to learn a lot on the fly,” he says. “Everyone says it’s a small ballpark, but it can feel very big when you don’t know where to go for things like concessions or help finding your seats.” 

The job has been mutually beneficial: LaRue, who is blind, gets to spend a day at the ballpark earning a steady income, and the Cubs organization gets “a little bit more of an understanding about how to accept and accommodate people like us,” says LaRue, who is also hoping to return next year. 

Click here to make a gift today to support The Chicago Lighthouse, including our Employment Services Program, which helped LaRue land his job with the Cubs.