"Inklusion Muss Laut Sein" also provides so-called Festival BUDDIES (English: buddy). Can you briefly explain what this system is about?
Paustian: There are two types of Festival BUDDIES. There is a festival crew, that being permanent contact persons and helpers on-site – for assistance in emergencies - and the BUDDIES who act as companions. The latter travel to the festival, help pitch tents etc. and leave along with their teammate. It is important that the BUDDIES share the same interests. Someone who prefers heavy metal would never accompany a pop fan and vice versa. After all - and this is an important point to remember: a companion is not a service request. It is all about friends helping friends.
Anyone can be a BUDDIE. However, we always have BUDDIES on hand who are able to cater to specific needs and are skilled and trained in patient care to support users in need of assistance or those with unique health care needs.
Everyone in your team - including the BUDDIES (as many as 1,700 across Europe) – are volunteers. What is your common bond?
You could technically sum it all up in one word. We all share the same passion. The passion for music or culture, the passion to make a difference, to help or simply to give our time. We all work for free, but never for nothing. Many volunteers with disabilities are on the road and test festivals and venues, make recommendations, take pictures and reveal the weak points – and that’s what unites and binds us. We are a large group of people who are who we are.
What was your wildest/craziest experience at an event, whether it was related to a lack of accessibility or due to the usual festival madness?
Paustian: I certainly have lots of experiences to choose from over the past 25 years! That includes having coffee with Doro (Editor’s note: Dorothea Pesch is considered to be Germany’s Queen of Heavy Metal), barging into a press conference with Blind Guardian or chatting with the German medieval metal band In Extremo.
For me, the fact that I am privileged to meet so many different people is among the most beautiful aspects of this journey. Those moments of successful participation -despite difficulties – are empowering. For example, in 2016 we had a guest in a recliner wheelchair on a ventilator at W:O:A. Along with 18 helpers, we moved the guest in front of the stage to enjoy a performance by Blind Guardian. We pushed him through ankle-deep mud to make it happen! What a great moment for everyone!
If you want to find out more – and listen to some other stories and anecdotes -, you can always find and touch base with me at a variety of festivals and events.