DART: Disabled Access Resource Team

The following describes the systems and services of DART for 2008. We hope this information helps you plan for your stay at the Festival. Please read it carefully before filling out the Registration Form. It is very important that all DART campers pre-register by returning the registration postmarked by July 12th (or July 3rd for DART RV). Because there is a limit to the number of camping/living spaces closest to central DART, the boardwalk (a central paved wheel-way with ramps) and other DART facilities, we will prioritize those spaces for womyn who have pre-registered. Boardwalk camp areas may be reserved for womyn using wheelchairs.

The systems and services of DART are designed to make the outdoor camping environment of the Festival as accessible as possible. While these services greatly increase the accessibility of the event, an outdoor gathering such as the Festival remains, by its very definition, a rustic camping experience and poses inherent physical barriers. We have worked over the years to decrease these barriers wherever possible, and have supplemented these efforts with services to increase accessibility. However, given the difficult terrain, the absence of any permanent structures, and the general primitive outdoor setting, the Festival is not an easily accessible event. Even at its best, the Michigan Festival environment is still a stretch for some womyn. Please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns you might have about whether or not this particular event will be a possible and positive experience for you.

DART AREA SERVICES
Arrival

When you arrive at the Festival site and after you have received your wrist ticket, let the womyn at the gate know that you are a DART camper. If you are purchasing a ticket, park in the temporary Box Office lot and the staff womyn there will come to your car to conduct the ticket sale. You'll then be directed to the DART shuttle drop (we will help you unload if you require assistance). Park your car in the DART parking area, visit the Festival Orientation and then return to the DART shuttle drop to catch a DART shuttle into the DART village. Please note: We cannot handle luggage over 40 pounds - NO EXCEPTIONS. Please pack accordingly so we can safely carry your pieces. Please also limit your pieces of luggage to a quantity that is reasonable for one womon to carry.

All Festival front gate services close at 10pm. The arrival services in downtown DART are curtailed once nighttime sets in. If at all possible, please plan your arrival during daylight hours so that we can help you get settled into your campsite with as little delay as possible. If you arrive after nightfall we can offer you an overnight spot in the DART community tent, but it will be much smoother for you if you arrive with several hours of daylight left.

Shuttle

The Festival shuttle service operates three lift-assisted buses. In addition to rides from Orientation and DART RV into the DART village, DART maintains an ongoing interior shuttle service. Check with the DART office for specific schedule information. Womyn who are able to use the general shuttles are asked to do so, leaving the busy DART buses for the womyn who have specific need of these vehicles.

Personal Care Support

Festival workers provide personal care support available on a limited basis. DART workers can offer extra or emergency help, but cannot provide continuous assistance to any one womon. If you need extensive or continuous aid, we suggest you bring an attendant to the Festival.

Helping Hands

This is a network of volunteers who assist womyn with moving gear, setting up camp and generally helping out with physical labor tasks.

Sighted Guide Services

Please arrange sighted guide services through the DART office. If you need a Braille or audio version of the Festival program, you need to specifically request it by July 1st by contacting the WWTMC office. Thank you.

Sign Language Interpreter Services

Interpreter services are available throughout the Festival. They are based in the Community Center and need to be arranged with 24 hours notice, except in cases of emergency.

DART CAMPING AND FACILITIES

The DART area itself is housed in a series of tents: The office tent for information and trouble shooting assistance, the workshop tent, the DART community sleep tent and the living room, a comfortable hangout for visiting, playing games, etc.

Mobility Accessibility

The DART area has a central paved wheel-way with ramps (called the boardwalk) leading to DART service tents, camping areas, showers, water and accessible toilets. From this interior wheel-way there is a paved path that runs the perimeter of the most central "downtown" area. Connecting from this paved path are carpet paths radiating out to all major Festival areas. The paved path provides very smooth movement along its route. The carpet paths make it possible for wheelchair travel over the sandy ground, but it is not easy mobility for womyn using chairs.

Showers

DART has wheelchair-accessible showers with a limited amount of hot water. DART womyn who can are expected to shower in the general Festival showers (all of which are heated as well).

Water and Ice

We have ample clean, safe drinking water. You do not need to bring your own water. You may want to bring a cooler for storing medicine and other essential items. Ice is available for purchase at the General Store.

Electricity

Electricity is available for medical needs only and can only be run from a Festival electrical source directly into a medical device (e.g. re-charging wheelchair batteries or running medical equipment). Please bring 50 feet of outdoor electrical cord to recharge equipment overnight in the DART office. Do not bring longer cords - they cannot be used.

DART Community Sleep Tent

This tent accommodates womyn who do not own or cannot borrow a tent. The spaces are assigned from your registration form on a first come, first served basis.

Adjacent and General Campgrounds

The DART camping area is not extensive and, due to the importance of its proximity to other services, it must be reserved for womyn with disabilities and their tent-mates or lovers. If you are coming with a group or planning to meet friends, we suggest your group camps in General Camping beyond the Over 50's Camping Area located parallel to DART. This is still close to downtown and the DART campground. If you choose to camp with your group in General Camping, you can be in close proximity to Downtown DART and DART services.

The DART staff does not provide services to areas that are located away from Downtown DART. However, you can camp in any of the other campgrounds and still access some DART services such as the DART shuttle and the DART food line. Please specify what services you plan to access on your registration form and stop into the DART office tent when you arrive at the Festival.

DART RV CAMPING

There is a DART RV area located within the general RV section that provides accessible warm water showers, electricity for direct-to-medical use, an accessible porta-jane and ramped RV campsites by pre-registration. There is also a continuous shuttle service by one of the three lift-assisted DART shuttle vehicles from DART RV to central DART and other Festival areas.

Just as in downtown DART, electricity is available for medical needs only and can only be run from a Festival electrical source directly into a medical device (e.g. re-charging wheelchair batteries or running medical equipment). Electricity is not available for running your RV for any reason; it is only available for medical equipment. Please bring 50 feet of outdoor electrical cord to run directly from the equipment to a Festival electrical source. Do not bring longer cords - they cannot be used.

Pre-registration is required for all DART RV camping, and only RV's with DART permits are allowed in the reserved area. If you are camping in DART RV, your DART registration must be postmarked by July 3rd. We will send you a DART RV pass in the mail after July 3rd; please bring it with you to the Festival. The RV campground prioritizes the spaces closest to support services and the road for womyn with the most need, so we encourage you to register early.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Food Services

Womyn with food allergies or other special dietary requirements should bring any foods that the Festival menu does not provide. We provide simple vegetarian meals - a list of their ingredients is available at the Main Kitchen. Ice is sold at the General Store and delivered once a day to RV.

Dishwash Facilities

For sanitation purposes, dish wash facilities are only available at the Main Kitchen. Neither Central DART nor DART RV has dish wash facilities. If this is a concern, please consider paper products.

Environmental Sensitivities

Given the shared community environment of thousands of womyn, we cannot say that the Festival is always safe for womyn with environmental sensitivities. In this camping environment you may encounter fire smoke, bug repellent, kerosene lamps, vehicle fumes from shuttles and common contact scents from the large group.

There is a campground in the northwestern section of the land designated as smoke and scent-free space, but it is not located near or serviced by DART. It is located in a more remote section of the general camping area, and is clearly marked and self-monitored by the womyn camping there. Still, all campgrounds are in relative proximity to one another, and although the area itself is designated smoke and scent-free, it is adjacent to other general camping areas.

If you have environmental sensitivities and are planning on camping in DART, please remember that DART is centrally located to provide enhanced accessibility, and is one of the most densely populated campgrounds on the Land.

Smoking and Chem-Free

The DART village is essentially a smoke-free space. All common spaces, the office, the activities tent, the boardwalk etc. are smoke-free. However, there is a section of DART camping designated for smoking, and there is a well-marked, accessible outdoor smoking area. There is also an area of DART camping that is designated as chem-free (no alcohol etc.). Please ask at the DART office for more information.

DART staff

The staff wear colorful nametags during the Festival to be easily recognized by DART campers needing assistance or information. In case of an emergency, a DART worker sleeps every night in the DART staff sleep tent, located just off the boardwalk near the showers in Downtown DART.

Medical Supplies

Be sure to bring an adequate supply of any medications or medical supplies that you use, even if they are not used daily, particularly any you may need for plant or insect allergies. DART does not supply ice or refrigeration for medication or anything else. However, you can purchase ice at the Country Store or at DART RV.

Registration, Permits and Getting Settled

We do not send out confirmations of registration for Downtown DART - once you send in your registration form you are confirmed. If you are registering for DART RV, you will receive a DART RV permit by July 30th. If you are camping in the DART area and/or using any of the services that the area provides, please make sure you stop into the DART office tent before you set up camp. We may need to ask for or offer some additional information before you get settled.

Until August...

Please feel free to write us with your suggestions and questions about DART. DART came into being because disabled womyn made their needs known, so feel free to offer your constructive feedback and comments. DART gets better each year because of input we receive from DART campers, so get involved and be a part of the Disabled Access Resource Team!

Please mail the Dart Registration Form postmarked by July 3rd for DART RV or by July 12th for Downtown DART

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