For more information about the Oakland For All program please call: Oakland Business Improvement District 412.683.6243 or Oakland Transportation Management Association 412.779.5398
OAKLAND FOR ALL EVENTS
Business Champions
Ninth Annual Ramp Crawl:
Friday, August 25, 2023
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The upcoming 2023 9th Annual Ramp Crawl being hosted by Oakland For All, Beyond Accessible is part of two days of the ‘Disability Weekend Under the Tent Celebration’ program of activities. Oakland For All will be hosting the Friday, August 25, 2023 Ramp Crawl from 4-7 p.m. as well as the Disability Short-Film Featurette on Saturday, August 26, 2023, from 5-6 p.m. in partnership with Film Pittsburgh.
We have contracted with the Center for Hearing and Deaf Services for the services of ASL (American Sign Language) and Tactile(for accessible games) Interpreters for Friday, August 25, 2023, 4-7 p.m.
On behalf of OFA, Film Pittsburgh has coordinated with the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Center for the donated use of ‘Audio Description Equipment’ for the Saturday, August 26, 2023, 5-6 p.m. Disability Short-Film Featurette. Additionally, Film Pittsburgh ‘Audio Describers’ will be in attendance to inform individuals who are blind or who have low vision about visual content essential for comprehension.
Additionally, as part of the coordination of programming for the Disability Weekend Under the Tent Celebration, Disability Pride PA will be hosting its 2nd annual Disability Pride Pittsburgh Event on Saturday, August 26, 2023, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information visit https://www.disabilitypridepa.org/dppittsburgh
Eighth Annual Ramp Crawl: Friday, August 19, 2022 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
We are returning to the traditional "crawl" event for this year's Eighth Annual Ramp Crawl. Attendees will kick off from the Tent at Schenley Plaza with remarks from advocates, program sponsors, and local, regional, and state leadership before heading out to enjoy food and drink specials at participating establishments throughout Oakland's Central Business District.
Stops on our crawl this year include The Porch at Schenley, Viva Los Tacos, El Jefe's Taqueria, Atarashi, Stack'd Burgers & Beer, CHiKN, Fuel and Fuddle, Treats N Beans, Smashed Waffles, and Sciulli's Pizza.
During the kick-off programming, we'll hear remarks from Rev. Sally Jo Snyder, Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, Councilman Bruce Kraus, and more, and we'll be honoring this year's award recipients – Advocate of the Year, Jeff Parker, and Oakland Accessible Business of the Year, Food for Thought.
Seventh Annual Ramp Crawl: Friday, August 20, 2021 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
With dedication to the health & safety of all attendees and in consideration of updated COVID-19 guidance, we're bringing all of this year's event programming to ONE location at Schenley Plaza and Schenley Drive Extension instead of the usual "crawl" through Oakland.
** Masks will be required for all attendees and vendors while under the tent during the event.
This year's event is highlighted by our Adaptive Sports Showcase of Athletes featuring an demonstrations of wheelchair basketball, rugby, handcycle racing and more from athletes of all abilities.
Our speakers include PA State Representative Jessica Benham who will speak on job access and benefits for people with disabilities and her own experience with adaptive sports, and Councilperson Erika Strassburger.
There will also be ADA Trivia with prizes, an Open Mic, complimentary beverages, plenty of food & drink specials at nearby kiosks, accessible vendor tables, music, and a lot more. We'll also be honoring this year's Community Champions: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy & Carnegie Library's LAMP (Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians).
The Open Mic will be give select attendees the chance to share their own stories of resilience and adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers will be given about 3 minutes each to share their story. To keep us on schedule, space for the open mic is limited, so be sure to arrive early and sign up to participate at the registration table when you get there!
An ASL Interpreter will be in attendance from the Center for Hearing and Deaf Services.
We are honored to have Reverend Sally Jo Snyder returning as our emcee this year, helping to keep our packed schedule of events, speakers, and showcases running smoothly and inspiring us with stories along the way.
Vendor tables include UPMC Disability Resource Center, Carnegie Library LAMP, Achieva, All of Us Pennsylvania, Disability Options Network, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Architectural Clay Products, Tarkett, and more!
Music under the tent is being provided by the University of Pittsburgh, drinks will be available under the Tent sponsored by The Porch at Schenley, and food will be available in the Plaza from Asia Tea House, Tres Amigos, Dessert Outlet, and Omar's Halal Grill.
Thanks goes out to all of this year's growing list of participants, partners, and sponsors, including the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Port Authority of Allegheny County, University of Pittsburgh, Achieva, The Porch at Schenley, Oakland Transportation Management Association, Oakland Business Improvement District, Facture Consulting, and many, many more.
Notice regarding COVID-19: Federal, state, and local guidance continues to tell us that any interaction with the general public poses an elevated risk for COVID-19. By attending, you are accepting full responsibility for your own risk of exposure to the virus. We are not requiring that attendees provide proof of vaccination, but will be requiring that all attendees and vendors wear a mask (correctly) while under the tent and we ask that everyone cooperate by practicing safe social distancing. Our partners, sponsors, vendors, and guests are not responsible for the health and safety of attendees. We encourage you to follow Allegheny County's COVID Safety Guidance.
Thirty years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2020 marks an important milestone in the ongoing efforts to remove barriers and empower people with of all abilities. In honor of this important occasion, we are proud to be hosting several events in July 2020 to help continue our fight for the full extension of rights to the disabilities community across civic, social, and economic life.
30 Years of ADA: Pearls of Great Value Virtual Town Hall & Discussion
At this year's Virtual Town Hall on July 24, panelists discussed the state of ADA in our region along with leadership, policymakers, and stakeholders including emcee and advocate Sally Jo Snyder, our Keynote Speaker 2020 Democratic Candidate for State Representative Jessica Benham (District 36), Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger (District 8), State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr. (District 19), Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's Denise Brown, and Masters Student in Sociology at IUP and person with a physical disability, Laura Power.
A live recording of this event can be viewed on YouTube here. (Note: Though closed captioning was provided during the live event, we are working to enable closed captioning in this recorded video, as well. Check back soon.)
During the webinar, we discussed the impact that the landmark American with Disabilities Act legislation has had on our community to help increase access and opportunity for people with disabilities over the last thirty years, and the important work going forward to continue our fight for the full extension of rights to the disabilities community across civic, social and economic life. Though the ADA has created a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable society-at-large, significant inequities remain. Topics to discussed during our July 24 virtual town hall included:
ADA legacy and progress in our region
Accessibility issues related to transportation and the redesign of public spaces
Impacts of the area’s evolving COVID-19 response on the disabilities community
Join us for a Virtual Happy Hour on Saturday, July 25 from 4-6pm. Community members and advocates are invited to attend for an opportunity to make connections, share experiences, and discuss the six films and one documentary that are part of our week-long access to the ReelAbilities film festival courtesy of Film Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, July 22 through Wednesday, July 29 – Watch the films at your convenience!
We are excited to be partnering with Film Pittsburgh for special, week-long access to the ReelAbilities Film Festival – a lineup of engaging short films from the Australian-based, award-winning Bus Stop Films.
Directed by Bus Stop co-founder Genevieve Clay-Smith, the program includes six award-winning short films created by people of all abilities. It also includes a short documentary that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of their most popular films. This line-up played ReelAbilities Pittsburgh on opening night of the 2019 festival.
Established in 2009, Bus Stop Films aims to EDUCATE, by delivering an accessible film studies program to people living with disabilities; CREATE, by producing high-quality, engaging content that shares diverse stories; and ADVOCATE, by sharing their films around the world and driving the film industry to be more inclusive of people with disabilities on both sides of the camera. These films will educate, entertain, and inspire as we celebrate an important anniversary and continue to strive for a more inclusive world.
Past Events:
Oakland for All has had the privilege to host the annual Ramp Crawl event for the last five years consecutively but, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to hold the event this year. Below are some images from the 2019 Fifth Annual Ramp Crawl in Oakland.
And a look at how we've grown since 2015:
We've reimagined our annual Ramp Crawl event for 2021
The 7th Annual Ramp Crawl will be August 20, 2021 from 4pm-7pm under the Tent at Schenley Plaza. This year's event is designed to highlight athletes of all abilities through our Adaptive Sports Showcase of Athletes. We'll learn from the athletes themselves through demonstrations of wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, handcycle racing, and more.
Thank you to this year's event sponsors and partners including Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Port Authority of Allegheny County, University of Pittsburgh, Achieva, The Porch at Schenley, Oakland Transportation Management Association, Oakland Business Improvement District, Facture Consulting, and many more.
Past events:
Oakland For All's annual programming includes a history of in-person and virtual community events like our annual Ramp Crawl in Oakland and our Virtual Town Hall, film festivals, happy hours, and more – all designed to raise awareness of the ongoing need for accessibility and equity in our communities while building stronger ties with the community through the age-old tradition of a pub crawl.
