On August 5, 2023, RCAL Executive Director Maureen Brevett held up a banner reading “Empowerment, Education, Inclusion” as the organization’s Disability Awareness Parade marched down Broadway in Kingston, New York. (Brian Hubert, Daily Freeman)
KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Accessible Living Resource Center’s Disability Awareness Parade will return on Saturday, July 20, marching down Broadway with special activities at People’s Place and Keegan Ales.
This year’s parade will follow a reverse route: The procession will depart from the municipal parking lot near Frank Guido’s Little Italy on Cornell Street at 11 a.m., then turn right on Broadway to St. James Street, where it will turn left and end in the parking lot behind People’s Place.
Anthony Mignone, CEO of RCAL, said the nonprofit decided to reverse this year’s parade route and have the march end on private property. “We worked with People’s Place and Keegan Ailes to make sure we didn’t get in the way of businesses,” he said.
Mignon said several government agencies, nonprofits and officials have signed up to participate in the march so far, including the state Department of Developmental Disabilities’ regional office, the Ulster County Foster Care Agency, Wraparound Services, Harambee Kingston, My Kingston Kids, Gateway Industries, RUPCO and Ulster County Chief Diversity Officer Esi Lewis.
“We spend a lot of time promoting issues that affect people with disabilities,” Mignon said, “The Pride Parade helps us show that we’re here, we live here, we’re part of the community and we want to be seen. We hope that the parade will attract people of all ages and abilities and show support for those living with disabilities in Ulster County.”
Mignon said people who attended last year’s inaugural event asked for something to do after the parade, and RCAL answered that call by adding activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This year’s program will also include a small resource fair for people with disabilities after the parade, Mignon said. “We’re doing the resource fair to meet people who don’t know about us and connect with people who need our services,” said administrative assistant Robert Miraldi.
Children’s activities will include face painting by Bruderhof, children’s games by the Esopus Community Foundation and bounce houses, Mignon said.
Keegan Ales will open early and sell drinks and food, he added.
Mignon said another lesson learned from last year’s event was to make sure there were enough toilet facilities, especially at the start of the parade. “We didn’t think about that last year, and people still needed to go to the toilet,” he added.
This year, People will open its restrooms near the city parking lot to event-goers, and Keegan Ailes will also provide restrooms to visitors to other events, Mignone said.
Mignon acknowledged that there are many challenges facing people with disabilities in Ulster County, including a lack of accessible housing and transportation. Transportation in Ulster County is already difficult for people who can’t drive or don’t have a car, and those challenges can be exacerbated if accessible transportation isn’t available, he said.
“If they have to pick you up and stay overnight, it becomes an even bigger inconvenience.”
Mignon said uneven sidewalks are a barrier for people with disabilities in Kingston and across the county, and RCAL is working to change that by placing representatives on road safety and road design committees at the city and county level, he said.
The area also doesn’t have great access to buildings and parks, and RCAL is also working with parks and recreation officials, Mignon said.
Still, Mignon said he hopes Ulster County’s “Think Differently” bill, pushed by Republican Rep. Gina Hansut of Lloyd and passed in November 2023, will help. The bill, which mimics similar bills already on the books in Dutchess and Orange counties, asks counties not to carry out projects or events without first considering how they will be accessible to everyone, he said.
Mignone gave the example of a graphic of a baseball field where a fence has been erected to protect the field. In the first scene of the graphic, tall people can see but short people can’t, he added. In the second scene, short people are given a box to stand on. In the third graphic, the fence has been altered to allow people to see through it, making it completely barrier-free, he noted.
“We want to get things right the first time,” Mignon said.
Mignone said he often hears the excuse from some lawmakers and others that making things barrier-free is cost-prohibitive, but that’s not necessarily the case. “The solutions don’t necessarily have to be the most expensive ones and are implementable by individuals and businesses,” he said.
Returning to the parade, Mignon called on individuals, businesses and organisations who wish to show their support for people with disabilities to take part in the parade for free by close of business on Friday, July 19.
To register for the parade and for more information about RCAL’s programs and offerings, visit RCAL.org