Nl Folk Festival Announces Inclusion Initiatives

The Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival presented by Statoil is pleased to be officially designated as Fully Accessible, and Hearing and Sight Accessible. The Festival which runs from August 4 – 6 in Bannerman Park, offers a variety of inclusion measures.

The Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival is a celebration of community, and the inclusion measures allows people to get to know their diverse community, and encourages meaningful conversations that explore, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience. It’s also an opportunity to expand outreach, and enhance community engagement in order to stay relevant to our growing and ever diversifying audiences. The Festival also continues to be one of the most inclusive and accessible festivals in the country for seniors and persons with disabilities. A team of inclusion volunteers, and representatives from InclusionNL, will host an information tent at the main entrance to the Festival grounds to coordinate inquiries and/or requests related to inclusion initiatives.

Access Advisor, a program of Tourism Quality Assurance that validates and assigns designation levels of accessibility, officially designated the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival Presented by Statoil as Fully Accessible, and Hearing and Sight Accessible in 2016. These designations signify the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society’s commitment to enhancing accessibility for all persons regardless of abilities.

As this is an ongoing initiative, organizers encourage people to contact them with questions and ideas for future festivals.

INCLUSION FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of this year’s inclusion efforts include a dedicated Inclusion Line: 709- 765-2232, a trained on site Inclusion Team, and blue zone viewing areas in both the TD Main Stage and TD Neil Murray Stage areas, listening devices, an accessible ticket line, a quiet tent, loanable wheelchairs, and a Festival schedule in braille. In addition, there is free inclusion training for all volunteers. The Festival is proud to partner with InclusionNL and is grateful to the community organizations who are supporting our efforts by lending equipment: Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and the Canadian Red Cross.

QUOTES

“The Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival showcases the skill, talent and ingenuity of some of the fin-est artists in our province, and everyone should have a chance to enjoy their magic. Our continuing work with our partner InclusionNL is aimed at offering a great experience to anyone and everyone who wants to experience the Festival.” – John Drover, President of the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Society

“We applaud the Festival organizers and volunteers for their continued commitment to inclusion. This is the third year of our involvement with Festival organizers and we are proud of our expanded outreach within the community to help diversify audiences at the Festival, ensuring that many accessible features are offered again this year.” – Kathy Hawkins, Program Manager for InclusionNL

LEARN MORE

Complete details of the 41st Annual Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival presented by Statoil, includ-ing ticket information, performer bios, schedule, venue information, and tickets are available online at http://nlfolk.com. Photos from the 2016 festival for promotional purposes as well as Sharon & Bram can be attained by contacting the Media Contact below.

SPONSORS

The Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Society wishes to thank the generous sponsors and supporters of the 41st Annual Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, including: Statoil; TD Bank Group; Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; Government of Canada, Department of Canadian Heritage; City of St. John’s; Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council; and, Steele Communications.