ACCESSIBILITY

2023 is the QLD Year of Accessible Tourism, and the Abbey Medieval Festival is recognising the importance of accessibility at our event in order to provide a greater, more positive experience for all patrons.

This year, we are implementing several changes to make our site accessibility friendly.

Accessibility map – identifying key areas in an easier to read format featuring toilet facilities, paths and quiet spaces.
Sensory Quiet Space Tent – Details to come. We’re partnering with a local support network to deliver a quiet space for patrons.
Accessibility coordinator – We have engaged Josephine Mitchell, an individual with a lived experience of disability to provide support and guidance during our preparations and delivery of the Festival.

We are conscious our site still has limitations with accessibility as an open field grassed area, and this accesibility plan is an evolutionary process where we will learn and grow and improve upon year on year through communications and planning.

I provide accessibility & inclusion support for museums, galleries, festivals and events.

One of the key ways I do this is through online accessibility information. By providing broader online accessibility information, people with disabilities have the autonomy to decide for themselves if a venue is safe for their personal circumstances, without the mental load of contacting a venue ahead of time, every time.

In addition to online & onsite access information, I also consult in exhibition and venue design in terms of sensory impact.

In my experience, there’s a sense of anxiety from many museums because of the diversity of disability and the fear of getting it ‘wrong’. There’s no way anyone can be an expert in all disabilities, it’s a learning and collaborative process, always. My goal is to help build and support strong, ongoing community relationships so everyone (staff, volunteers & patrons) can feel safe and valued.

Josephine Mitchell

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS