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Denver Pride: Doing Accessibility Right

Written by Dave Jensen
Published on: June 28, 2023

disability pride flag superimposed over denver's city skyline

Friendly Like Me tracked down some of the most accessible LGBTQ+ bars in Denver in preparation for PRIDE celebrations in Denver, Colorado this month. Friendly's accessibility guide to ten of Denver's best queer spaces was featured by Denver 7 ABC News just in time for the city to welcome over 535,000 PRIDE attendees over the weekend.  

Denver's PRIDE organization worked hard to provide an accessible experience at Civic Center Park, calling out the less accessible areas of this historic location and providing guidance on how best to enter and navigate the park if you have issues with mobility.  A variety of other accommodations were provided, including an ADA section at center stage, ASL interpreters, large-print and Braille festival materials, and portable accessible restrooms.

Importantly, the festival's emergency preparedness plan included specific arrangements for people with disabilities in the event of a problem, a precaution we recommend to all event planners. 

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Denver PrideFest last year broke records as it welcomed half-a-million people since returning to an in-person event following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. But despite these attendance records, barriers still exist for people with disabilities and those with fuller figures. That's where Friendly Like Me comes in.

Read an excerpt of the article below...

When it comes to inclusiveness, these 10 LGBTQ+ Denver bars are leading the way for people with disabilities

Community-driven Friendly Like Me app tracked down which Denver bars met access needs for people with mobility issues

DENVER — Denver PrideFest last year broke records as it welcomed half-a-million people since returning to an in-person event following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. But despite these attendance records, barriers still exist for people with disabilities and those with fuller figures.

Research from the Human Rights Campaign shows about 10% of the LGBTQ+ population lives with mobility issues which prevents them from accessing many of the services and entertainment venues most of us take for granted. When you take that to the broader population – 12.1% - that turns into a lot of people who lack appropriate access to things like national parks and on a more local level, bars and concert venues.

It's these staggering numbers that inspired the people over at Friendly Like Me to get to work in 2019 and bridge what they call “the accessibility gap” for people with disabilities and those living at higher weights.

Founded by Elysia Everett Burns, the app – hailed as the “YELP for people with disabilities” – features highly specific reviews that include things like accessibility accommodations for seating, wheelchair accessibility, parking, roominess for those who and even noise levels for those who are neurodivergent.

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Read the Full Article on the Denver 7 News website >>>

 

Contreras, Ó. (2023) When it comes to inclusiveness, these 10 LGBTQ+ Denver bars are leading the way for people with disabilities, Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). Available at: https://www.denver7.com/news/pride/when-it-comes-to-inclusiveness-these-9-lgbtq-denver-bars-are-leading-the-way-for-people-with-disabilities (Accessed: 24 June 2023).

Written by:

Dave Jensen

FLM's Co-founder & CTO, Dave draws on 45-yrs of experience in IT & software development when he writes about using tech to overcome barriers to access and participation.

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