The annual Edmonton fair, K-Days, is looking to make the summer festival more accessible for all by using undercover consultants to test how accessible the event really is.
Most people don’t think twice about the logistics of getting across the grounds, ordering food and using the washroom, but they are experiences that can be difficult for people living with disabilities.
“We want more people who have diverse disabilities and diverse needs to want to come and not be turned away or scared to come because they don’t feel included,” said disability consultant, Brad Bartko.
Bartko is touring the grounds, visiting all the usual K-Days sights and topping off his day with a concert to see how easy it is for someone using a wheelchair. People part of other disability organizations will also visit K-Days later in the week.
The goal is “just making sure they’re as inclusive as possible, they’re thinking about everybody — the deaf community, the blind community, not just mobility users,” Bartko said.
The fair’s director, Amanda Frigon, said it’s all in an effort for “equality, diversity and inclusion — looking at every opportunity for everyone to be able to come to K-Days without barriers.”
Organizers say the idea for Bartko and others to come test the grounds was sparked by the fair’s new rebranding. At the end of K-Days, Bartko will give organizers a report outlining what is working and what could be improved.
“That’s the important part: getting better every single year,” he said. “Maybe we are 50 per cent, let’s get to 60, 70, because no one is 100 per cent. But let’s get you as close as we can.”
These are all small changes — or “core steps” as Frigon called them — that can add up to make a big difference for those living with disabilities.
— with files from Mason DePatie, Global News