Buffalo’s Disability Pride Festival has regrown since going virtual during the initial years of the COVID pandemic — from a small festival at Canalside to taking over RiverWorks starting last year.
This year, the festival will feature over seventy-plus vendors, an entertainment stage, unity walk, speaker series, art show and more. This week on the Disabilities Beat, we preview some of the festival's new accessibility features and its first-ever out-of-state band to headline the entertainment stage.
TRANSCRIPT:
This is a rush transcript created by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.
Emyle Watkins:
Hi, I'm Emyle Watkins and this is the Disabilities Beat.
Shane Lowe:
When I walk around as a blind person, I get a lot of questions. I get a lot of looks. I get a lot of nervous people. They think I don't know where I'm going, et cetera, et cetera. And so there's a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions.
Joseph King:
Oh, yeah.
Shane Lowe:
And sometimes-
Emyle Watkins:
Shane Lowe and Joseph King are longtime friends and a new music duo called Midair Decision from Louisville, Kentucky. Here's Shane again.
Shane Lowe:
And sometimes the stage is the great equalizer. We get on stage and nobody's worried about us being blind anymore. We're behind our instruments, we're on stage, we're having a good time, and it helps us connect with the crowd.
Emyle Watkins:
And that's what makes Lowe and King so excited to be performing at Buffalo's Disability Pride Festival on Friday.
Shane Lowe:
These are our people. These people more than anyone know who we are and know what we're about. And so I'm just overjoyed to share some energy with this crowd.
Emyle Watkins:
Buffalo's Disability Pride Festival has regrown since going virtual during the initial years of the COVID pandemic, from a small festival at Canalside to taking over RiverWorks with over 70 plus vendors and entertainment stage, Unity Walk, speaker series, art show, and more.
MUSIC FADES IN
MUSICIANS:
Took our time but well worth the wait
MUSIC FADES UNDER NARRATION
Emyle Watkins:
Midair Decision being the first out-of-state band to headline with their country-pop fusion is evidence of the festival's growing popularity.
MUSIC FADES UP
MUSICIANS:
We're chart topping hearts from the start to the latest
Superstars, caviars, feeling underrated
I hope you don't mind when I turn this up
MUSIC FADES OUT UNDER INTERVIEW CLIP
Shane Lowe:
If you think about the best shows you've seen at festivals, there's the elaborate arrangements. There's maybe some guest appearances. There's a little spontaneity. It's going to be all of that. I can't wait. I can't wait for you to experience it.
Emyle Watkins:
Lowe recalls a point when he was younger working as a music journalist when another musician told him he should start a band with all blind members.
Shane Lowe:
I was kind of uncomfortable with it. I was kind of like, "I don't know if I want to start an all-blind band. That seems like a little trope-y or maybe I'm kind of taking advantage of it."
Emyle Watkins:
Lowe and King say creating a band of blind musicians wasn't intentional, but Lowe says he realized when people hear blind musician, they think of the greats, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and more. Celebrating that identity is a chance to join a line of talented musicians.
Shane Lowe:
Take advantage of that reputation that has been built on these great phenomenal players before us. And so it's been a blessing actually.
Emyle Watkins:
That's what Disability Pride is about, celebrating what disabled people bring to the table with their disabilities as part of who they are. This year's festival recognizes the disability community's achievements and the arts with the theme Art of Access.
Stephanie Orlando:
And here we are in Western New York that has a rich cultural element of the arts and we are a part of that.
Emyle Watkins:
Stephanie Orlando is the CEO of Western New York Independent Living, whose hosting the event.
Stephanie Orlando:
And so really celebrating that we are part of our Western New York art community. There's a lot of wonderful art institutions here that promote access and it is kind of an art form to have access. You have to think creatively, you have to think outside the traditional box.
Emyle Watkins:
This year, the festival thinks outside the box by solving a problem. The need for fully accessible bathrooms with specialized equipment many people may only have at home. While they can't build it, they can bring it.
Stephanie Orlando:
It offers a lift, a shower, a fully accessible unit.
Emyle Watkins:
Momentum Refresh, a business which calls itself, "America's first fully accessible universally designed mobile restroom," will be coming to New York State for the first time as part of the festival according to Orlando.
Accessibility and adaption will be throughout the festival. This year, the M&T Foundation is also working with organizers to train and bring volunteers to support festival goers.
Stephanie Orlando:
We have all sorts of things from guided navigation where we'll help people get to the different sections of the festival to alternative versions of the program.
Emyle Watkins:
Friday's Disability Pride Festival runs from 2 to 7:00 p.m. at RiverWorks in Buffalo. Orlando hopes everyone with — or without — a disability will come learn what the community and the art of access is all about.
Stephanie Orlando:
When we think about access and the creativity that comes along with that, it really does bring a benefit to our entire society.
Emyle Watkins:
For more on this story, visit our website at btpm.org. I'm Emyle Watkins. Thanks for listening.
