[Mdpobc] Smithsonian Folklife Festival Accessible to Visitors with Disabilities

[Watson, Bob]

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Accessible to Visitors with Disabilities

The Smithsonian Institution is committed to making the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival accessible and enjoyable for  our visitors with disabilities. The 2011 Festival features "Colombia: The Nature of Culture," "The Peace Corps:  Fifty Years," and "Rhythm and Blues: Tell It Like It Is."

The 10-day Festival, held outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets, will take place from Thursday, June 30, through Monday, July 4, and Thursday, July 7, through Monday, July 11. Admission is free. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with concerts, special events and dance parties extending into most evenings.

A large-print version of the Festival's daily schedule and food concession menus will be available. The Festival program book is available on CD and in other formats upon request. A limited number of wheelchairs will be available at the Volunteer tent for loan.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be on site to interpret selected performances and presentations clearly indicated on the daily Festival schedule.  An additional ASL interpreter is on site each day and can be reached via the Volunteer tent for visitors with requests beyond the scheduled events.  Real-time captioning (CART) will be provided for selected performances and presentations.  CART availability will be noted in festival schedule.

    Verbal-description and tactile tours are scheduled for Saturday July 1 and Friday July 8 at 1:30 p.m. for visitors who are blind or have low vision; reservations may be made by e-mailing access at si.edu<mailto:access at si.edu>. To request other access services not listed above, please call (202) 633-2921 (voice) or e-mail access at si.edu<mailto:access at si.edu>. All music-stage locations are equipped with audio loops. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival welcomes all service animals.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, inaugurated in 1967, honors tradition bearers from across the United States and around the world. With approximately 1 million visitors each year, the Festival unites performers and visitors in the nation's capital to celebrate the diversity of cultural traditions. It is produced by the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and co-sponsored by the National Park Service. The Festival's website is http://www.festival.si.edu.

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