Accessibility

At Telling Tales events we strive to provide:

• Physical Accessibility: We strive to host our events in fully accessible locations so that people of all abilities feel comfortable attending. This includes accessible presentation spaces, washrooms, entrances, and doors wide enough for a wheelchair user to enter.
  • Please note that it is roughly 1 to 2 minutes walking from any Programming Tent at Telling Tales Festival to an Autograph Location with a total walking time of 10+ across the Festival site from East to West.
  • Wheelchair accessible paths are indicated on programming directional signage around the Festival site.
  • Most tents are located on grass close by a paved pathway.
  • The Bouncy Castle is located roughly 40 feet off the paved pathway down a grass slope.
• Quiet Areas: We know that festival spaces and children’s events can be loud, so we strive to provide safe spaces to decompress and calm down. Please note sensory-Friendly locations on our Festival Map. Also, all Festival tents have quieter areas slightly removed from amplified sound for audiences.
• Digital Accessibility: We are assessing our website, social media, and online resources’ compliance with digital accessibility standards so that everyone can enjoy our content and online presentations!
• ASL Interpretation: We want to make sure that our friends in the Deaf community are included in our presentations, which is why we provide ASL interpretation at our flagship festival and subtitles on our digital presentations. Telling Tales Festival Schedule makes note of all ASL interpreted presentations. We thank Silent Voice and Undivided Productions for their support in presenting our ASL segments.
• Cultural Awareness: We know that people of different backgrounds have different needs in any social gathering, which is why we strive to bring many types of people into our event planning. 
• Content Warnings: We recognize that content warnings are a critical part of keeping our community members safe when engaging with potentially challenging material. Our in-person programming includes content warnings, and our Reading List can be filtered by content warnings.
• Transparency: We want to make sure that accessibility information for all venues, including digital, is available in advance of events so that everyone can feel comfortable attending.  
• Inclusive Programming/Neurodiveregent: Part of our ongoing commitment to create inclusive and accessible spaces is our Inclusive Tales Research Project. In collaboration with Hamilton Public Library and in consultation with a registered Occupational Therapist, this project aims to discover methods for inclusion at children’s storytime programming. Learn more here. Engage in inclusive multi-sensory activities at Telling Tales Programming Tents across the Festival. These “yes spaces” are designed to be engaging and welcoming for the needs of Neurodivergent children and their families.

Accessibility is a commitment and an evolving process for our organization. If you have concerns or questions regarding accessibility at either our digital or in-person programming, please contact evelyn@tellingtales.org

Digital Accessibility

Telling Tales is committed to creating an accessible online environment and making its web documents available to everyone. However, there may be instances where not all content is in an accessible format, such as maps or Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) data, engineering drawings or complex technical data, and legacy applications or data. Should you need assistance obtaining an accessible alternative for non-accessible content, contact Telling Tales.

Festival Accessibility

Telling Tales strives to create Festival events that are accessible to all. However, there may be limitations based on the sites themselves. Please read site information for more about accessibility at our two main festaival locations.

Royal Botanical Gardens

Telling Tales is held at the Royal Botanical Gardens. The RBG is a mostly accessible site with accessible parking spaces and large, paved pathways through key areas of the gardens. Other gardens are accessible by fine-gravel paths or grassy areas, which may become difficult to navigate in the case of rain. For more information visit the RBG website.

Accessibility is a commitment and an evolving process for our organization. If you have concerns or questions regarding accessibility at either our digital or in-person programming, please contact evelyn@tellingtales.org