The Department of Mobility is now DOA. Yes, that’s right – if you’re in a wheelchair, or otherwise mobility impaired, you have a new home. The Dimension of Accessibility. Rat Lady has stepped up to take over from Wayne. If anyone out there has access to a wheelchair-and-Playa-friendly shower, your assistance would be appreciated:

We introduce to you BRC D.O.A ! Located at Center Camp and 7 o’clock as the Department of Mobility has been for a number of burns. Come and visit! We will have art tours 4x per day, at5:45am , 9:00am, 6pm and 9pm. Look for us in the guide, where you may see us listed as either BRC D.O.A or The Department of Mobility, due to the sudden change. We are grateful to Wayne for his hard work and selfless dedication over the years in leading the camp, we wish him the best and send him well wishes for a solid recovery !

Space is always given with preference to the Mobility Impaired. We offer a public charging station for electric equipment belonging to the disabled, including c-pap’s, Electric Wheelchairs, Mobility Scooters and other Medical equipment. We will offer the Short Bus, a Wheelchair friendly bus service through the main road of the City, Center Camp, the Man and the Temple. Designed for those with Mobility impairments, able bodied folks are welcome when we have room, but you can be bumped off at any time if a disabled burner needs your space. (No Bikes or Booze on the Bus) We provide educative support to the disabled and their supportive friends and family via our website and email  prior to the burn, as well as information to Burners who wish to make their Art Cars and Camps radically inclusive for the mobility impaired ! There will be an “Wheelchair friendly” workshop at our Camp, Wednesday August 28 at noon.We will not be able to accommodate those on respirators. Because of the sudden changes so late, our facilities this year will be basic, and our shower this year may not be wheelchair accessible, unless someone out there can assist ?  We will keep everything else wheelchair friendly. Your support and suggestions are welcome,  please contact us at brcaccessibility@gmail.com.We are looking for a limited number of additional campers for our camp, who can provide value to our service for the Burner Community, If mobility and accessibility are important to you, and if you want to help our mobility impaired Burners, this is the Camp for you, camp dues will be $150, a portion of which goes toward gas for our Tour and Shuttle vehicles, and the Short Bus.

At Burners.Me, we wholeheartedly support BMOrg’s efforts to make “radical inclusion” extend to people with disabilities, handicaps, injuries, or other mobility challenges. However, we absolutely do not support making fun of the handicapped. In a rare moment of agreement, both Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary define “Short Bus” as a derogatory term. We would encourage Rat Lady to come up with a better name for their “friendly bus service”. We hope that this gesture is genuine, despite this year’s reduced facilities, and not just a compliance requirement for BMOrg’s permit.

Speaking of friendly bus services, BMOrg have also announced Burner Express, a bus service to Black Rock City. I would imagine this would be a fun ride to go on, start the party early. Not sure how many bikes and tents you’ll be able to bring with you – by the sound of it, you will have to find someone else to bring your stuff. The good news is, if you pay them more money the bus will stop at grocery stores (just don’t buy anything that requires refrigeration); and bus campers get VIP access to Will Call and the road in, and special prime position camping.

In an effort to reduce traffic and limit the environmental impact of our event, Burning Man organizers are offering the Burner Express bus service with pickups in San Francisco and the Reno airport to Black Rock City and back. This service offers early arrival, speedier entrance, ticket pick up, reserved camping and quicker departures.

Burner Express is ideal for participants flying into the event and for Burners involved in art projects and theme camps having their gear hauled in by campmates. Tickets start at $60 one way from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and $95 one way from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Additional charges apply for extra luggage or for a stop at a grocery store in Reno. Departures begin from both locations Saturday, August 24 and return trips begin Friday, August 30.

Large motor coach buses will take Burners to Gerlach, where they will hop on smaller buses for the ride into Black Rock City. There will be a “bus only” lane to sidestep traffic backups at Gate and Greeters, and bus passengers will have their own Will Call station for speedier ticket pick up. (Please note: ONLY Burner Express and Green Tortoise buses are permitted in the bus lane.)

Once inside BRC, bus riders have the option of camping in a reserved camping sectionon the 6 o’clock access road or taking shuttles out to 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock along G Street.

This sounds like a good idea for the environment, and for Burner safety – well done BMOrg! We encourage them to put a decent DJ on the bus, or at least download some of the 2012 Burning Man music to their USB stick.