Blazing Swan’s Accessibility Team works with people with disabilities and mobility issues to ensure that everybody at our Event has the opportunity to make it their best possible experience.

According to the Australian Institute of Health one in six people in Western Australia has a disability and, with their families and carers, they form a significant part of the community.

The chance of having a disability increases with age. Less than 5 per cent of people under five years have a disability while this rises to 50 per cent for people aged over 60 years.

Blazing Swan has always been an open and radically inclusive place. But for those people with a disability it has not always been possible to attend for a variety of accessibilty concerns or issues.

Each year we work towards a city that is more and more inclusive of everyone.

Mobility Devices

Mobility device? Yes you can!  While the ground is very hard (the Playa is a paddock beside a salt lake) we have had attendees using a variety of mobility devices, from a single stick, to double, large wheel walking frames, (zimmers are not so good on the many graveled areas) power chairs from smallest to largest, shop rider type gophers and larger four wheel drive gophers (larger are better), and disabled folk who decide to go big and use (and decorate!) a small golf cart as a mobility device, for the most amount of suspension available on the often rocky patches of ground! It is hardest in a manual wheelchair, and you would want back up pushers, but it is do-able, if very slow.

Note that any powered transport larger than a power wheelchair MUST be pre-approved before being brought onto and used at the event site.  Approval is not automatic.

All people bringing a Personal Mobility Device more powerful than a powerchair are required to clearly sticker them uptop, front and back, with a minimum palm size, stiff plastic ACROD sticker (Bunnings has them) AND pre contacting Accessibility Lead for authorisation. This helps makes sure everyone knows they are a PMD belonging to a  person needing them for mobility, and also stops Rangers etc from mistaking them for hoon mobiles on site!

The absolute Speed Limit at Blazing Swan is 8kph which is generally 8 clicks towards the rabbit, out of 10, on a standard gopher or shoprider. (Australian Gophers and Shoprider type PMD’s are normally capped at 10kph, the Australian pavement speed limit for them.)

If you have an uncapped device (ie/dual Carer/disabled person, 2 man golfcart, micro golfcart) you will need to be especially careful not to speed on site, as one of these machines at speed could cause an accident. You may be pulled over and your settings checked if seen going too fast in a PMD! Using folded duct tape beside the knob, placed at an angle, will physically stop you turning it past a certain point, if you doubt you will remember the speed limit and are likely to”dial up” automatically!

Strung night running lights are also required for safety if your gopher or golf cart doesn’t have working lights front and back; we recommend using cheap fairy lights. However even if the PMD lights are working, more lights are always better!

Keeping the 11 Principles in mind, you will need to bring spares of EVERYTHING! Multiple wheel changes, puncture kit, or have your wheels filled with puncture proof foam by a bike shop. The grounds do have GG’s which are long sharp prickles, some years more than others, and they slice up shoes, bikes and chair tyres alike.

Always bring a back up device even if it’s an old manual chair or set of sticks. REMEMBER: Backup your backups, if you use wheels!

The Blazing Swan Accessibility Facility
Blazing Swan have created the centrally located Accessibility Facility- a daytime space where people with disabilities and their carers can connect and – in the spirit of the Blaze Principles of ‘Radical Self Reliance’ and ‘Communal Effort’ – support each other by sharing stories and practical advice.   At the Accessibility Facility you’ll find first time and many times Blazers with disabilities, their carers and Assistance Animals.  An off-leash space is provided for Assistance Animals who need – like us – a chance to chill out.  This off leash, multi-species suitable Safe Space area, is limited so please contact Alicia ahead of time to make a booking.
Accessibility Team Specialists
Alicia Manolas – Accessibility Lead – Macaw Girl and TIBERIUS)
Medical BioMonitor Assistance Animal – Seizure Alert (Macaw)
Communication Etiquette

How we write about and speak with people with disability can have a profound effect on the individual and on community attitudes. By their very nature, some words and interactions can degrade and diminish people with disability. Others perpetuate inaccurate stereotypes, entirely removing a person’s individuality and, in some cases, their dignity.

Through positive and appropriate interactions with people with disability, we can help break down the barriers that they face in the community and in the physical environment. It is important to recognise people with disability for what they can do, rather than focusing on their limitations.

When communicating with a person with disability, rely on your common sense, and interact with people the way you would want to be treated. The fundamental principle is to put the person before the disability.


Assistance Animals

Participants at the Blazing Swan event who require the assistance of a Assistance Animal and whose Assistance Animal meets Australian Federal Law regarding Assistance Animals as laid out in the Disability Discrimination Act, may be accompanied by their Assistance Animal where required.Please inform Accessibility Lead as soon as possible.

Your Assistance Animal will require a species specific Veterinary certification of health to be emailed to Accessibility Lead at   that also shows any and all blood tests appropriate have been done, faecal floats, including addressing zoonotics if any, and all worming and vaccinations required have been administered.

This IS a higher standard than the average entry to a supermarket Public Access Test.  Firstly because this event takes place on farmland and it is not acceptable to bring anything untoward onto farmland.  Secondly, there are areas of Blaze where people are packed together tightly, and we don’t want any diseases or parasites being passed onto or spread among humans. Please contact Accessibility Lead for suggestions of Assistance Animal specialty vets in WA to aquire your pre Blaze certificate, if you require help.

In the case  of working canines: Identification and proof that the dog is an Approved Assistance Dog Cardholder, or under which DDA clause it is working, and dossier if clause (C), is required.
For Non Canine Assistance Animals, both Medical BioMonitors and PsycoSocial Support, please email under what clause of the DDA your Assistance Animal is working, and provide the standard dossier of proof. For those not accustomed to going out in public with their NCAA, please email Accessibility Lead for assistance. Please include your NCAA’s task list, training level, how they help you, and a bit about you and them.
If you are unsure if your animal is an Assistance Animal yet it alleviates your disability and is exceptionally highly trained, please contact Acessibility Lead for a conversation and assessment asap.
Because pets are not permitted, if you require your Assistance Animal with you in order to attend Blazing Swan, we require that you pre-register your Assistance Animal by sending an email to  Accessibility Lead 
We warn all participants that the “Event” venue often presents unforgiving physical environments for humans and animals alike. Inclement weather, fire, loud noises, crowds and flashing lights are all common, and if any of these would be too uncomfortable or pose a risk for either you or your Assistance Animal we ask that you carefully consider these factors as you decide whether to participate, with or without your Assistance Animal.
If you bring an Assistance Animal to the “Event”, you are required to ensure:
  • the animal does not pose a risk or threat to any other person or Assistance Animals at the “Event”
  • the health and safety of that animal at all times;
  • the animal is in your control, or the control of a person known to you, at all times, which generally requires that the animal be on a leash or harness, or in an appropriate enclosure.
If you have any questions please email –