Sitting on a square platform in the beer garden at Long Lake beach, Mark Brown enjoyed another year at Folk on the Rocks. He said he's lived in Yellowknife for decades, but has only been on disability for about eight years.
"I deal with chronic pain every day, so to me that's nothing new."
Brown didn't always have a disability when coming to this festival, but ever since, he's noticed how much of an issue accessibility is. As much as he is a fan of Folk, Brown said there is much room for improvement.
"I'm talking specifically for people on disability, because getting around on a wheelchair, I can't go two feet from my platform and get stuck," he said.
Brown was the only person on that platform. If he were to roll off it, he'd likely get stuck in the sand and wouldn't be able to move. Someone had to roll him onto the platform in the first place, he said.
That platform also gets covered in sand, making it hard for anyone to see where it starts and ends.
"When you ask people, they're willing to help," said Brown, noting the volunteers at the festival were accommodating.
One area for improvement could be more mats, Brown suggested. For the past few years, Folk on the Rocks has had mats that make it easier to get from one end of the beach to the other, compared to walking in sand.
For someone in a wheelchair, they'd still need to compete with foot traffic though. And if they ever roll off a mat, they can get beached again.
"For the most part, Folk on the Rocks was smart, because they did put up the mats to help people like myself and others. But having said that, that took some time just to get that. I kept saying, 'We've got to fix this,'" said Brown.
There were no mats inside the beer garden SA国际影视传媒� an enclosed spot where artists were performing.
Brown reiterated the festival's been getting better each year, but more measures could be taken to give people with a disability a little more autonomy.
"If I have to go to the bathroom, I've got solicit somebody to get there," he explained. "If I want to get a beer, I've got to find somebody to give me a hand. It compromises the freedom."
He said other people face the same problem. "We're all in the same club."
According to the GNWT's disability framework report from 2017, more than 3,000 people aged 15 years or older reported having a disability in 2016. The report predicts that by 2035 about 4,600 people will experience a disability, expected to be about 12 per cent of the overall population.
"You've got to respect people on disability because being on disability is a huge challenge," said Brown. 'We have to think twice to move once."
For next year, Brown said he's going to be an advocate on full force.
"I'm talking about people on disability because we're not represented. There's nobody looking after us, so we just have to make it up," he said. "It's difficult."
Yellowknifer reached out to Folk on the Rocks about what organizers might consider to make next year's festival more accessible, but did not hear back by publication deadline.
