Atlanta Pride has teamed up with Friendly Like Me to produce an accessibility guide for this year’s festival and parade.
According to the CDC, 26 percent of Americans have one or more disabilities, and ten percent of the LGBTQ community experience limited mobility. Friendly Like Me is an app designed for the disabled community, making accessibility information easier to find and connecting individuals with the businesses and organizations striving to make fit and accessibility a priority. Before Friendly Like Me, there was no easy way for people with disabilities or fat bodies to go somewhere in confidence, knowing in advance if somewhere has a ramp, an accessible bathroom, open-sided chairs, or an elevator. Now people with access needs can go out with peace of mind.
This year, for Pride celebrations across the country, Friendly Like Me has produced accessibility guides detailing accessibility information at Pride venues and various surrounding locations. Atlanta’s guide was created in partnership with Steven Igarashi-Ball, Atlanta Pride’s Director of Equity and Engagement.
“Pride is for everyone, and we want to make sure that our whole community feels that message,” Igarashi-Ball said. “Each year, we put great thought into how we can make the festival more accessible and enjoyable, and this Accessibility Guide is just one more step toward that goal. We hope that all of our guests will feel seen and heard, and we are taking every step we can to help them ‘show up and show out’ as their fullest, most authentic self.”
The guide includes accessibility information for the festival, including a map of the parade route, emergency instructions, accessible bathroom locations, ADA viewing areas of each stage, the accessible path to the main stage viewing area, water station locations, information about service animals, information about volunteers, security, and ASL interpreters, and more.
Also included is accessibility information for Piedmont Park itself, such as accessible parking, wheelchair accessible entrances and buildings, accessible restrooms, and more, as well as the closest MARTA station to the park, Civic Center Station, and various businesses and hotels near the area. Each location includes a checklist of accessibility standards met as well as notices of standards not met. Included locations include Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hyatt Centric Midtown Atlanta, Park Tavern, Bulldog’s, Blake’s On The Park, Red Light Café, Sweet Hut Bakery and Café, The Vortex, Rreal Tacos, Café Lucia, Willy’s Mexicana Grill, The Nook On Piedmont Park, Virtue Rooftop, The Establishment, JoJo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge, The Starling Atlanta Midtown, Atlanta Marriott Suites, Hampton Inn and Suites, Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Midtown, Fox Theatre, and Hotel Indigo Atlanta Downtown.
You can access the Atlanta Pride Accessibility Guide here or download the Friendly Like Me app.