#DisabilityUnite #TogetherWereStronger #CelebratingCommunity
Disability Unite Festival 2024
Come join us at the fifth annual NYC Disability Unite Music & Arts Festival which will take place online and at the Central Park Naumburg Bandshell (entrance on 72nd Street and 5th Avenue) on Sunday, July 14th from 11 AM to 4 PM rain or shine. After 4PM, the festival will be entirely virtual.
Disability Unite’s motto is “For The Community, By The Community”. With community partnership by Project Access For All Partners, and the Commission for Human Rights, the Festival is based on mutual aid principles. The Festival is the sum of our collective advocacy and imagination, helping to build a more inclusive world!
This year’s theme is “Championing Change: Past, Present and Future". Together, we will honor past disability rights leaders who were integral to the movement’s early victories and paved the way for today’s change agents who continue the ongoing fight for equitable access. It is their efforts that better the lives of future generations.
You are invited to advocate and share your expertise and lived experience. Many people from our community are eager to broaden their “disability lens”--to be educated about the inclusion of all disabilities. City agencies and organizations are looking forward to the opportunity to connect with the communities they serve – beyond just the distribution of literature – to actively engage in reciprocal sharing and learning.
We look forward to celebrating with you all. Here's some information that you and everyone celebrating may want to know.
Full schedule of festival performances.
Festival Map
Festival Map Description
Booth and Activities Map- A directory of booths, art exhibitions, and activities
FAQs
How much is the event?
Free! We don’t want the cost of a ticket to affect anyone’s ability to attend.
Are there other programs or activities at the in-person event?
Yes. There will be arts and sports activities for all ages, booths from our partners, and an art installation.
Transportation
There are a variety of options for traveling to Disability Unite Festival, including accessible public transportation.
We recommend you come to the Bandshell from the East side, rather than the West. It is more direct, and we will have volunteers and crossing guards present to assist.
Access-A-Ride
If you or anyone in your group requires Access-A-Ride Drop-off or Pickup, please call +1 (877) 337-2017 and press #2 to make a reservation. When doing so you can make the following request:
'Disability Unite Festival - Central Park' (E 72nd St and Fifth Avenue)
How do I get to the 72nd Street and 5th Avenue entrance using Public Transportation?
Subway Access
Q / R trains at 72nd Street
4 / 6 trains at 68th Street
4 / 6 trains at 77th Street
Bus Access
Buses
M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 / M72 buses at 5th Avenue & E 72nd Street
For additional accessible transportation assistance, refer to the MTA’s ‘Plan a Trip’ search tool by putting in your location and checking the box for accessible trips.
Where's the closest parking garage?
East side of Central Park
SP+ Parking: 910 5th Ave, New York, NY 10021
Accessible Dispatch
TLC’s Accessible Dispatch, a service that provides wheelchair accessibility, has yellow and green taxis for trips originating anywhere in the 5 boroughs. Passengers pay the normal metered taxi fare in New York City from the point of pick-up to destination. There are no extra costs to passengers.
To Request an Accessible Taxi:
1. Download the mobile app “Accessible Dispatch NYC” in the Apple Store or on Google Play
2. Order online at mtm.ridewithzoom.com
3. Call the dispatch center directly: 646 – 599 – 9999
4. Call 311/NY and relay 711
For additional accessible transportation assistance download the MyMTA App at the Apple Store and on Google Play.
I’ve never been to the bandshell in Central Park. Is it hard to find?
Please enter the Park at 72nd and Fifth Avenue. Volunteer Greeters will be there and along the route to give directions to the festival as well as assist folks en route to the bandshell. Additionally, Crossing Guards will assist at the one busy intersection where it is hard to navigate the many bicycles.
Travel Orientation Videos
Our festival tour guide, Michael Ring, has made a series of short videos to help you navigate your way to the Festival’s Central Park entrance.
Video #1: Arriving at the Festival (72nd St & 5th Avenue)
Video #2:- Directions continued
Video #3 - We’re almost there. There will be crossing guards present to assist at this crosswalk.
Video #4 - You've arrived at the Festival!
Here is the same information from the videos in text format
The best way to enter the festival is on East 72nd Street and 5th Avenue. After entering the park, follow the path and head West for about 1000 feet or roughly 2-3 short blocks. It’s best to follow the sidewalk which is on the right or the uptown side of the path. Continue to follow the path until you reach the first crosswalk. That should be only a block. There will be security guards present to assist with traffic. You need to be extremely careful crossing this street, and it's advised to cross with other visitors. The problem is that the bicycles that will be whirring by on a weekend may not abide by the crosswalk signals. Cross the street here and navigate the sidewalk about one more block. Bethesda fountain will be across the street on your right side. The festival will now be on your left side.
What can I expect with Access Accommodations?
Listed below are the accommodations available at the festival, with no request needed. Please let us know of any additional accommodations you may need at the festival. Learning each other’s preferences is how the community grows together.
- This Streamtext captioning link (https://bit.ly/3cgfMpq) a fully customizable URL for captioning, can be accessed by anyone onsite with a a personal device, and on computers for those attending the festival virtually.
- There will also be ASL interpreters as Communication Access Realtime Translation (C.A.R.T.), for all announcements and performances that will be on stage, and broadcasted online for virtual attendees.
- FM Receivers with neckloops are available. Please ask at the Information Booths for more information and to request a FM receiver.
- Additional ASL interpreters will be present at the first Information Booth when you enter the Festival area.
- Plain Language will also be provided on the Disability Unite livestream.
- A Quiet Area will be available at the Central Park Bandshell for people who want to escape from the noise and crowd or for neurodivergent visitors with sensory needs.
On the day of the festival, we will have a limited number of tactile maps available at the Information Booth. Please email disabilityunite@gmail.com to reserve a tactile map beforehand.
What can I expect when I get to the Festival?
- Once you arrive at the festival you are not required to sign in. There will be two information booths at the entrance to the Bandshell area (marked on map and in text description) to share information and guide people to where they want to go and to give general information about the festival.
Planning Your Festival Experience
Full schedule of festival performances
Festival Map.
Festival Map Text Description
Community Booth Placement List.
Food & Drink
- We will not provide any food at the festival, but you are more than welcome to bring your own. You can also bring your own picnic blanket.
Heat
- Dress for a warm summer day and bring a container for water. There will be free water stations available to refill containers.
- Keep in mind, there’s a fully shaded area in the bandshell vicinity called Literary Walk.
- Let others know if someone appears to have a heat problem, or any other medical emergency. There is an air-conditioned ambulance close by, so please inform staff if you or others feel unwell
Do you have a vaccination and mask policy?
According to the New York City guidelines at the time of writing, proof of vaccination is not mandatory. That said, we want everyone attending to be safe and comfortable, so we ask that you attend virtually if you have symptoms or have been in contact with a sick person.
How can I participate virtually?
If you prefer to participate virtually, the Festival will be live-streamed on our accessible Live Stream Center on DisabilityUnite.org
You can also connect with other participants on Twitter or the Disability Unite Facebook Group.
Anything else I should know?
Leaving No Trace and Cleaning up after ourselves.
Please help us care for the environment and show appreciation to our hosts at the Parks Department by recycling water bottles and leaving the space cleaner than we found it.
-Reminders
There will be several photographers and videographers from news outlets at the festival. By being present in the festival, you are granting your consent that photographs, video and/or voice recordings, and/or your biographical information can be used for print, television, radio, website, and social media postings for the purposes of promoting the Disability Unite Festival and Project Access for All.
Post- Festival Feedback Loops
- After the Festival, attendees who registered will receive two emails from us:
1) Feedback Form
A form to share feedback about your experience, including ways to join teams created at the 2024 Festival. If you are an individual or organization and haven’t registered, and you’d like to receive the Feedback Form, you can do so below:
Attendees register at no cost here
Organizations register at no cost here
2) Connect to Community Form (with the option to share your email)
Your email will never be shared without your permission. Toward the end of August, you’ll receive a “Connect to Community Form'' which will allow you to “opt-in” and select Community Partners with whom you’d like to share your email. We thank and share these communities.
There’s still time for organizations to have their information included in the Connect to Community Form! Register as a Project Access for All / Disability Unite Partner by the end of the day, July 26th.
Social Media
Finally, we need your help in sharing the 2024 Disability Unite Festival with the world. On the day of the festival, please post any photos or videos of the festival with the hashtag #DisabilityUniteFestival.
Tag us on Facebook and Instagram (@DisabilityUnite), and on Twitter (@access4_all).
Without you, there is no us.
We appreciate the time and expertise of new friends we’ve met in Zoom meetings who’ve teamed up from Project Access for All’s disabled and non-disabled allied communities, City Agencies and Winick Productions.
You can still sign up to volunteer. If you do, be prepared to arrive at the Bandshell on July 14th at 11 AM!
For any additional questions, please email disabilityunite@gmail.com or call 212-334-8721 to leave a message and we will reply at our earliest opportunity.
See you on July 14th!
Additional Information:
Are pets allowed at the in-person event?
Leashed pets are allowed, but please be mindful of your animals.
Are strollers allowed at this event?
Yes, strollers are allowed at this event.
Can I ride my bicycle, roller skates, or skateboard?
No, bicycles, roller skates, skateboards and other recreational modes of transportation are not allowed. Any mode of transport used for accessible needs such as motorized scooters are welcome and the grounds are paved.
Are there advertising opportunities for the virtual event?
No, Disability Unite Festival is funded through grant funding and our generous sponsors. Advertising opportunities are not available.
Are there social media pages I can follow for updates?
Yes.
Instagram: @disabilityunite
Facebook: Disability Unite
Twitter: @Access4_All
Youtube: @DisabilityUnite
Join our community for events, programs, and a virtual festival this July to celebrate Disability Pride Month! The Disability Unite website will connect partner organizations and people throughout NYC, around the country, and across the world in celebrating Disability Pride and furthering a message of Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusion.
While the platform is called "Disability Unite", we acknowledge and respect that the disability community represents a broad cross-section of groups, communities, and individuals identified by race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religion, age, or disability status. Each individual/group will have different opinions and should advocate in whatever way they prefer.
The events on this platform are for the community, by the community. That means all Project Access Partners will be invited to become a partner on the Disability Unite website as well, and have their logo (with a link to their website) shown on the “Community Partners” page to acknowledge their involvement and introduce viewers to their websites and social media.
Led by a Community Working Group, Project Access is an "open" consortium that reflects the ideas and events of the disability community. Project Access for All was launched nationally in 2010 with a Working Group of the Obama Administration. Project AccessNYC was launched on August 9, 2011 at Gracie Mansion by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Matt Sapolin. Commissioner Sapolin was a founder and first Project AccessNYC Co-Chair. Project Access is not owned by any one institution or individual and aims to reflect the vision of its users through a platform for direct engagement to further opportunity, equality and inclusion throughout the community. Project Access is coordinated by Art Beyond Sight.