Accessibility
The Festival’s Board of Directors are committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, inclusive festival where all employees, volunteers, vendors and patrons are treated with dignity, respect and equality.
Accessible Parking Spaces
The Festival takes place throughout Mississauga at various City Community Centres and Cultural Facilities. All of the parking lots have parking spaces designated for people with disabilities. All designated spaces are clearly marked.
Public Transportation
Public transportation to the Festival includes:
- Mississauga Public Transport MiWay buses
All MiWay buses are accessible and offer FREE ridership during the Festival hours with the Carassauga passport.
- Carassauga Shuttle buses connecting to all the Pavilion locations
The Festival provides a FREE shuttle service, using MiWay buses from Square One to Paramount Fine Foods Centre, with connection to all the Pavilion locations.
Special needs vehicles and taxis can use entrance drive-ways for passenger drop-off near the main doors to each location.
Information on the Shuttle Buses and MiWay accessibility, routes and schedules will be posted in the Festival’s website.
Paths of Travel
The Outdoor Area is on a flat paved parking lot, providing access to washrooms, the cultural Pavilion tents, vendors, eating areas and stage seating area. Paths are wide, and without steps or barriers. Cable protectors, which are wheelchair accessible, will be used to cover electrical wires that run across paths. These will have bright, contrasting colours to alert people with low vision.
The Arena’s, Community Centres and Cultural Facilities are mostly on flat terrain. Some may require a step or using the concrete ramp to reach the main entrance level.
Please note, St. Sava Serbian Centre is not wheelchair accessible.
Stages and Seating
Seating will be designated for each stage for people using mobility devices and their friends, family, support persons and service animals. The designated seating areas will provide an unobstructed view of the stage.
Food Services and Public Eating Areas
Food vendors and the eating areas are located on the solid grounds.
The outdoor area is equipped with wooden picnic tables, all of which are open ended and are accessible for persons with mobility devices. The tables are located on flat, firm and stable ground. Ample space is allocated around the tables to ensure easy access.
Washrooms and Temporary Toilets
Accessible, temporary toilets are situated in the Outdoor Area grounds. All are located in the fenced area on the paved ground but away from the crowded stage areas.
Hand washing facilities are located in each temporary toilet area.
Accessible washrooms are also located indoors at all the facilities.
Rest Areas and Rain/Wind/Sun Shelters
As the festival is spread out throughout Mississauga, it is difficult to designate a rest/quiet area in each location. At the city facilities there are seating areas in the lobby away from the pavilion locations. Temporary relief from exposure to heat, cold, rain or wind can be found indoors at any of our locations.
Signs
Signs and maps located throughout the Festival grounds will be in large, easy-to-read font with good colour contrast. They will be situated in both high and low positions, and will be readable in all light conditions.
Support Persons
Support persons provide assistance with mobility, personal care, medical needs and other necessary services. A support person will be permitted to go wherever the person they support goes.
The Festival will waive the general admission entry fee for a support person accompanying a person with a disability. The waiving of the entry fee will not include entry to the Opening Ceremony.
This information will be posted on the Festival’s website.
Service Animals
Service animals will be allowed to accompany a person with a disability to all areas available to the public.
Training Staff and Volunteers
Accessibility for all our volunteers and patrons is important to our event. The Festival will train all staff and volunteers on how to welcome people with disabilities and on the festival’s accessibility features.
Communication Supports
Carassauga Festival is a multicultural event taking place in various locations, rendering the use of captioners and sign language interpreters is difficult to offer. All signs on the Festival grounds will be in large print and will use plain language.
Maps and Information
To help people make an informed decision, the Festival will provide information on our website about our accessibility features and include our maps of the Festival grounds.
Other Accessibility Considerations
The Information / Transit Tent will be designated as the place where persons with a disability can get information about the Festival’s accessibility features. The Information Tent is located near the Main Arena entrance of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre. Volunteers in the Information / Transit Tent will be trained on accessibility features as part of the training requirements.
