Luckily, there are many ways to improve access for people with social anxiety. The first step is moving away from a medical label and thinking about "what are the functional limitations?"
In addition to anxiety, other impairments (like autism, epilepsy, PTSD) can make it difficult:
to talk with strangers
to use short term memory
to think in a noisy environment
to listen closely under bright or moving lights
For #1, email is a very wonderful thing (since talking on the phone can be hard due to 1, 2, & 3). Setting out the "common sense"* interaction rules in advance is invaluable, so that people know what's expected of them. Creating guided social events for newcomers creates a space where wallflowers are explicitly welcome.
For #2, copious, super-legible signage unburdens one's working memory.
Some environments are inherently noisy: it's helpful if people know that up front so they can plan their schedule. Depending on the event and the venue, one can make a quiet retreat room where folks can take a calm break. Contrariwise, sometimes amplifying an event makes it easier for us to separate the background noise of an audience from the foreground noise of presenters.
For #4, organizers can reconsider whether the laser lights or disco ball or twinkly holiday ropes are truly required.
* "Common sense" is generally a slippery and inadequate guide. Briefly describing shared values and outline behaviors that are not permitted helps everyone have a good time.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-07-04 12:01 am (UTC)In addition to anxiety, other impairments (like autism, epilepsy, PTSD) can make it difficult:
For #1, email is a very wonderful thing (since talking on the phone can be hard due to 1, 2, & 3). Setting out the "common sense"* interaction rules in advance is invaluable, so that people know what's expected of them. Creating guided social events for newcomers creates a space where wallflowers are explicitly welcome.
For #2, copious, super-legible signage unburdens one's working memory.
Some environments are inherently noisy: it's helpful if people know that up front so they can plan their schedule. Depending on the event and the venue, one can make a quiet retreat room where folks can take a calm break. Contrariwise, sometimes amplifying an event makes it easier for us to separate the background noise of an audience from the foreground noise of presenters.
For #4, organizers can reconsider whether the laser lights or disco ball or twinkly holiday ropes are truly required.
* "Common sense" is generally a slippery and inadequate guide. Briefly describing shared values and outline behaviors that are not permitted helps everyone have a good time.