00:00:00 Speaker 1
Welcome to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL). Our guest today is Sophia Roberts, western region coordinator of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS) and I'm your host Ernie Churchwell. Welcome to the program, Sophia.
00:00:17 Speaker 2
Hi Ernie, nice to be here.
00:00:19 Speaker 1
And regular listeners of this program got an overview of the Disability Pride celebration, acknowledging the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its importance to all people with disabilities.
00:00:35 Speaker 1
But unlike a lot of public events, this one is stocked to the gills with entertaining things for people to come there for, and you've got the scoop on it. What can people expect when they go there? And if you could remind people when and where?
00:00:52 Speaker 2
Sure. So, the Disability Pride Festival this year is going to be on the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26th, Friday, July 26, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., and we have a really awesome lineup on the stage.
00:01:11 Speaker 2
So, we have, we have dance, we have music, we have martial arts demonstration, and we have some theatrical performances. So, I can say a little bit more about some of those acts if you want. But we have really four hours' worth of entertainment.
00:01:32 Speaker 1
I think this is the first time that I've heard of a musical martial arts demonstration.
00:01:37 Speaker 2
Yeah. So that one, that one's going to be Sujeet Desai, who has performed in the past. But most people know him for his music. He plays seven different instruments.
00:01:47 Speaker 2
But it also turns out that he is a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and he is interested and excited to do a martial arts demonstration, and he'll do it to some music playing in the background. We're also we've got poets that have come, and we're really excited about the poets.
00:02:07 Speaker 2
And one of the things about that we really have to be proud about in the disability community is a lot of talented people who experience disability in one way or another or are allied with our community, so we have our poets are all people who experienced disability and they are in demand at poetry slams across the country. Bianca L. McGraw is going to be performing and also emceeing. She's a consultant to the World Poetry Slam on Accessibility in Toronto, and she and J.B. Stone, they've been performing they they're in demand at other places, poetry slams.
00:02:49 Speaker 2
Legendary, the poet is going to be performing back by popular demand. He's been at Disability Pride many years and he's a big supporter of the event. Yeah. And then WNYIL’s own Lisa Maria Cruz. So, Lisa Maria does a lot of poetry around Western New York. And she'll also be reading. So, we're excited about those poets.
00:03:10 Speaker 1
Terrific. And although you mentioned the when and the where, I mean excuse me the date and the time I should say, but you didn't mention the location. If you could make sure people know about that?
00:03:21 Speaker 2
Oh yeah. That's important. It's at Canalside. So, it's going to be right at Canalside right on the they call it the Dart Lawn and the Pierce Lawn right across from the boardwalk. And there's right next to the wheelchair accessible carousel. So, the wheelchair accessible carousel's going to be running that day as well and they will also turn off the sound for anybody who has sensory issues, they do that all year round actually, but they will be there during the event. They're right next door to where we are at Canalside. That'll be another fun thing people can do and I could tell you about the bands and the music acts too, if you want, Ernie.
00:03:59 Speaker 1
Well, actually we've got less than a minute left, but uh for the big overview, I believe, don't we also have an accessible boat ride on the river?
00:04:08 Speaker 2
This year they had a little trouble coordinating it, so this year, Adaptive Water Sports are going to take sign-ups for accessible boat rides at other times because they actually provide accessible boat rides and sailboat rides all throughout the year. So, they'll be having people sign up for that. But I do want to mention the band Stress Dolls. They are an up and coming band and they're touring around the country. They had their lead singer is a person with disabilities and also Myq Farrow is going to be performing along with DJ Pastor Rock. So, we're excited about them as well.
00:04:41 Speaker 1
We're totally out of time. If people have questions, how can they reach you?
00:04:45 Speaker 2
Then you can call 716-463-5035 or they can email sroberts@sanys.org
00:04:58 Speaker 1
Thanks so much for being with us, Sophia.
00:05:00 Speaker 2
Thank you for having me.
00:05:01 Speaker 1
You've been listening to Independent Perspective, a public affairs, presentation of WNYIL. Our guest has been Sophia Roberts, western region coordinator of the SANYS, and I've been your host, Ernie Churchwell.