Founded in November 2015, the team was established to answer the rising need of the disabled, carers and additional needs families of the Pagan community. We are continuously adapting to meet the needs of the community.
In 2022, we have changed the name and remit of the team. Now called The Accessibility Team, they take the lead for us in promoting and creating awareness around accessibility needs both for moots and real world events as well as online content. There are many ways we can make Paganism more accessible to suit the diverse needs of our community and we aim to do our best to keep showing up, learning and doing the necessary work both within the PF and out in the world.
The objectives of the Accessibility Team are:
The Pagan Federation Accessibility Team works to promote and increase awareness around the accessibility needs of Pagans. Through working closely with our own internal volunteer network, relationships with other relevant organisations, events and community initiatives, we identify accessibility solutions where there is a need and support members of the community who have accessibility needs.
The team consists of people who have first hand experience of accessibility, the issues around it and the effects lack of accessibility has on members of our community.
The team attends national festivals, conferences and even local moots to meet people, speak about the team and the PF and their work and to reach out to the community. As well as this we also held the world’s first Online Festivals.
The festivals began for Beltane 2016 and it became clear from the offset that we’d stumbled onto something special. Through these festivals we’re learning the full extent of the work that needs to be done as we come into contact with many Pagans who felt they’d never been taken seriously within the community before; they were what Disabilities Manager, Debi Gregory, called “The Lost Voices”. With these lost voices in mind came the birth of The Disabled Pagan Voices Project, brainchild of former Pagan Dawn Editor, Kate Large. This is an opportunity for all disabled Pagans, their carers and additional needs families to get their voices heard through music, art, poetry, short stories, blogs and anything else that gives an outlet to the creative voice of the community.
As well as this website, we have our team blog; Spoons and Broomsticks. The blog is open to all to contribute but is also a place for you to get to know the team, our aims and our thoughts.
While well aware that some things are insurmountable, we are enthusiastic about facing every challenge with a level head and a touch of magic.