The 2023 RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is just around the corner, and if you’re a person with a physical disability, I have some AMAZING news to share.
I will get to the good news in a moment, but first, I want to tell you about the company/organisation helping make this possible.
Whimble is a company founded by Emma Brown to “empower clients and caregivers to seamlessly connect for on-demand, personalized care.”
In other words, if you’re a person with a disability who needs help, get in touch with them, and they will do their best to find the right person to assist you.
Full disclosure: I had the pleasure of meeting Emma and her sister, Kebbie, who is also involved with Whimble, shortly after they launched. Since then, I’ve worked with Whimble on various projects, including blogging for their website.
Now, let’s get back to the great news.
On June 20th. 2023, Whimble announced a partnership with the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest which will see them offer on-site personal care attendants for people with disabilities.
Personal care attendants will be onsite for the duration of the festival, which runs from July 6th – 16th, 2023. Personal care attendants will be available to assist with bathroom breaks, eating or drinking, etc.
Here is the official press release:
PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
RBC BLUESFEST PARTNERS WITH WHIMBLE TO TAKE MUSIC FESTIVAL ACCESSIBILITY TO A NEW LEVEL
The first-of-its-kind collaboration will see on-site personal care support services available for patrons with physical disabilities.
Ottawa, June 20, 2023: Whimble Care Inc (“Whimble”), a community-based app that enables people with physical disabilities and caregivers to connect on demand, is proud to announce that it will be offering personal care attendant services on-site at RBC Bluesfest between July 6 and 16, 2023. This first-of-its-kind collaboration in Ottawa’s music festival history sets a new accessibility precedent for Canadians with physical disabilities who rely on personal care assistance.
Using Whimble’s network, anyone attending RBC Bluesfest who has a physical disability and requires assistance with activities of daily living (such as bathroom breaks, eating or drinking) will have access to experienced caregivers at no additional charge.
“Whimble was founded on the premise that people with physical disabilities should be able to live life on their own terms, without having to worry about how and when they can access personal care assistance,” says Emma Brown, founder of Whimble. “We are thrilled to partner with Ottawa’s RBC Bluesfest, whose like-minded values recognize the importance of building a truly inclusive experience for all festival-goers this summer.”
“We’re very pleased to have Whimble on board to offer personal care to our festival fans with physical disabilities,” says RBC Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan. “This is something we take seriously in terms of customer satisfaction. It is important to us that the overall festival experience is memorable and hassle-free for all our patrons.”
About Whimble:
Whimble is an Ottawa-based care tech startup whose marketplace platform connects people with physical disabilities with experienced caregivers for on-demand personal care assistance. To join Whimble’s community-based platform and access or provide last-minute personal care assistance, visit www.whimble.ca.
About RBC Bluesfest:
Ranked by Billboard Magazine as one of the world’s top 10 most successful music festivals, RBC Bluesfest is a multi-staged music extravaganza featuring blues, R&B, gospel, world, rock, pop, and more. Some of the biggest names in the music business come from around the world to perform annually in downtown Ottawa. The site is licensed and offers great food.
For more information, please contact:
Emma Brown, Founder, Whimble Care Inc.: emma@whimble.ca; 613-363-7705 ● AJ Sauve, Director of Media Relations, RBC Bluesfest: ajsauve@ottawabluesfest.ca; (613) 247-1188 ext. 229
This is fantastic news for several reasons:
1. People with disabilities that are attending the festival will be able to feel safer and more comfortable at Bluesfest. They’ll be able to eat and drink, which is especially important during the hot weather. PWD will also be able to use the washrooms with an experienced caregiver.
2. This is another significant step in the right direction for the festival in terms of accessibility and better including people with disabilities in the festival experience. It’s been my MANY years of attending Bluesfest and several other festivals that more needs to be done to make the festival experience truly accessible for all festival-goers.
For more information about Whimble, please visit https://www.whimble.ca/
For more information about the 2023 RBC Ottawa Bluesfest, please https://ottawabluesfest.ca/
Photo: OLM Staff
