World Con and accessibility (or lack thereof)

[sasha_feather]

As you probably know, I am one of a handful of people who run Access at WisCon. I've done this for a few years and learned a ton. Access initiatives at WisCon have largely been very successful and well-regarded.

Karen Moore recently went to WorldCon and was struck by the difference in the lack of accessibility there vs. at WisCon. She wrote us a letter to say so, and gave me permission to quote her letter in my blog. Excerpts from her letter follow:

----begin----

As difficult as it is to juggle 1,000 convention members through the Concourse Hotel’s [WisCon's event site] elevators, I have never seen a wheelchair or scooter user wait for 55 minutes to get onto an elevator at WisCon. I’ve seen that happen multiple times this weekend. It has never been necessary at WisCon to take one elevator to the ground floor, transfer to a second elevator to reach the below-ground floors, traverse a tunnel between two buildings to reach yet a third elevator in order to reach a different floor in the other building to go from one panel to the next. That is a frequent occurrence at WorldCon; in fact, one scooter user we spoke to had concluded that the best she could hope for was to be able to attend a panel in every other timeslot, because the lengthy waits at multiple elevators meant that it took her at least two full hours to navigate from one panel to the next one.

As much of a hurdle it was to move awareness of access into the forefront of people’s consciousness at WisCon, you achieved that very effectively, with announcements, signage, blue tape and multiple other means of communicating to the able-bodied that perhaps taking the stairs would not be a huge burden, and that it would be worthwhile to do so to free up elevator space for those who cannot move between floors in any other way. At WorldCon, there was nary a whisper of such messages, save for a brief blurb titled “Be Kind to your Wheel-Footed Friends” in the Saturday newsletter – and that was AFTER I buttonholed the con chair on Friday afternoon and gave him merry hell about it.

As challenging as it is to finagle a wheelchair/scooter parking spot in some of those oddly-shaped meeting rooms at the Concourse, you still manage to do so in every single one. There is absolutely NO awareness of the need for wheelie/scooter parking spaces at WorldCon. Wheelchair/scooter users are on their own to try to squeeze into space, move chairs around, and try to find a spot to settle.

And even though it is far from ideal for wheelchair/scooter users to have to use that little elevator to navigate the half-flight of stairs to reach the last two panel rooms on the first floor, at least there IS an elevator. There is at least one room in WorldCon’s venue that can ONLY be accessed if one can climb stairs, and they programmed events in that room in every single time slot of the entire con.

And finally, as much pushback as I know Access has gotten from within the committee over its mission, at least none of WisCon’s concom (that I know of) has ever seriously suggested developing an entire track of programming that doesn’t exist, located in a room that doesn’t exist, and then put the damn thing in the pocket program book, the online program and everywhere else. Evidently, someone in the WorldCon committee finds it immensely amusing to think of a convention member with no cartilage left in his hips struggling painfully down multiple escalators, across the tunnel, up more escalators, then searching through a maze of corridors for a program event, only to find a sign that essentially says “Ha, ha, gotcha, Sucker!” The con chair heard from me on that topic as well, by the way. His response? “Well, I’m sorry you don’t see the humor in it.”

-----end-------

WorldCon does have an accessibility department, but it sounds like it is not succeeding. It also sounds like, from this last paragraph, that the ConCom trolled its own membership.

I repost this here not to pick on WorldCon or to cause drama, but rather to say, here is a problem, at this covention and at others. What can we do to work on addressing this problem?

Initiatives at WisCon succeeded because of committed activists and allies. I suspect that each convention will need insiders on their con coms to bring initiatives forward-- that change will have to come from the inside.

At one convention that I won't name at present, I think that criticism around accessibility caused a very strong backlash, and that comparisons to WisCon only made the backlash worse. We were seen as condescending outsiders to their in group. My own perspective is that I have practical experience that I want to share, but, the criticism was not taken as constructive and relationships were damaged.

This is not my intention here. Better access improves things for everyone involved, and it is not as hard to implement as one might think.

Thoughts?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

As noted, it was a play on the joke title/lyrics to The Stars And Stripes Forever. If you look at the entire series of newsletters, you'll notice a lot of headlines similarly played off of song titles, lyrics, quotes, etc.

As the newsletter editor, I'm not going to apologize for it, unless given evidence that the specific term "wheel-footed" is a previously unknown to me established slur. I deliberately, for a number of reasons, adopted a light-hearted tone for the newsletter, particularly in the headlines. Disabled folk were not singled out for such, nor were they excluded from it. As someone who has an occasional mobility disability (gout attacks in leg and foot joints), I'd personally find it insulting to be considered sufficiently fragile that I'd take offense to an obviously light-hearted play on a song title/lyrics that was being done in the same way to many other groups/individuals.

Tom Galloway

[sparkymonster]

A panel where everyone was in character as various comic scientists etc. would be amaaaaazing

[sparkymonster]

I found a picture of the traffic lanes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliastarkey/5784496262/

The left side (where TheRotund is) is the lane of movement. Walking, wheeling, etc. Don't block the lane. The right side is the "social" lane. You can stand and sit to be social.

If you're in the left lane and want to socialize, step into the right lane.

There are signs on the floor and the walls to remind people
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhenry/2529321783/


This lane was taped down in the lobby to mark a place people shouldn't stop and block.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sasha_feather/5779333403/

[(Anonymous)]

The hotel for the Chicago WorldCon was a pain even if one was in good health and had no mobility problems. I'm in the "I'm not disabled, I'm just old" group (which has its own set of accessibility issues). I never made it to the party floors, as the 20-30 minute wait just to get on the elevator put me in so much pain that I got off at my room and stayed there.

Three things that would have really helped me:

1. A way to sit down and not get bumped out of lines. (I may end up getting a walker for other cons for just that reason.)
2. Better signage. The type on the room signs showing what events were in them was way too small to read without getting up on top of them.
3. Better 'color coding' on the pocket programs. At least there was a legend which LOOKED like some of the events had been color coded somewhere, but all the grays looked alike to my eyes. Try a crosshatch or other textured fill next time, guys.

Chicon's Stagg Field

[(Anonymous)]

I was staffing Chicon from Soldier Field, directly next to the putative location of Stagg Field. As a result I handled a number of puzzled people looking for panels they had become excited about. I feel very badly for those who were tricked into coming out for a hoax. I tried to express my own displeasure about the situation to sympathize with those people so impacted. I didn't think it was funny either.

Jason M. Robertson
Minor Gopher Staffer, Chicon 7
i.redag@gmail.com

[(Anonymous)]

This is a holdover from Capricon, many chairs of which ran Worldcon. The "Woebegon" track often has some of the best panels, but the participants are usually a clue as to the imaginative nature of the panels. I works better in the Capricon hotel, and the insiders know not to look for it. Not any relief for someone who has spent time and effort to find the non-existent panel, I know, but not maliciously done by any means.

SAMK

[(Anonymous)]

Just something - I'm not attending London because I find the city in general to be painfully inaccessible & expensive for wheelchair users. The Tube is hardly accessible at all unless you're travelling between specific stations. London buses have the appearance of accessibility, but a lot of the attitudes involved between non-disabled bus users & drivers who don't want to take the time to get down their ramps make it awkward. Accessible taxis tend to cost twice as much as other taxis. If you just go in the street to get where you're going - if you even can all the way - people don't look where they're going, they walk into you, etc. I just don't ever visit London if I can possibly avoid it. Birmingham is little better for the same purposes, though I live in Manchester and have an easier time in my chair at home. But I hate, hate, HATE London from an accessibility POV. The place gives me panic attacks.

Someday there'll be a WorldCon somewhere I can afford to go AND physically manage... Someday. For the meantime, it's Discworld Con, Starfury & possibly EuroCon (Dublin) for me. Sigh. Being excluded by inaccessibility is a stressful thing. Particularly when you're not 30 yet & people assume you have to be older to be using a wheelchair.

- Trialia, who can't seem to log in.

[readsalot]

Putting room parties in function space usually means spending $$$$$ on them, because hotels believe that they should provide all food and beverage that's consumed in function space. Sometimes you can negotiate them out of it--it depends on the hotel, the location, and how much they want your business.

And here in Massachusetts it's *illegal* for a hotel to let alcohol be served in function space unless the hotel provides the alcohol and a bartender. There are also legal restrictions on where hotels can buy their alcoholic beverages. None of this helps in keeping prices down.

[julieandrews]

Totally need to do that at Wiscon!

Re: Stagg Field track

[julieandrews]

I've never seen one of those. That sounds awesome!

Re: Stagg Field track

[jackandahat]

I ended up asking my journal (after my Canadian housemate looked blankly at me) and the only people who had any idea were fellow English people. So apparently it's not a thing anywhere else!

Re: Chicon's Stagg Field

[sasha_feather]

Thanks, Jason, for commenting.

(frozen)

[trouble]

Hello Tom,

Please tell me what accommodation were made for attendees with disabilities, particularly those that were highlighted in your light-hearted newsletter.

I look forward to your response. I'm sure as someone who has spent a great deal of time discussing accommodation requests and how disability access is managed in the US, you will be able to answer this question with ease.

Sincerely,

Anna Pearce

Re: First Worldcon

[(Anonymous)]

There was hotel staff at the West tower 1st floor elevator to manage the traffic there (at least during busy times of the day).

Re: Chicon's Stagg Field

[jackandahat]

So was Stagg Field given as having a location? I got the impression from people arguing back that people "should have known" it didn't exist because it wasn't there, but this sounds like there was somewhere it was indicated as being.

(frozen)

[(Anonymous)]

No. You don't get to move the goalposts, let alone into another stadium.

Disabilities were not my department at Chicon, Newsletter editor was. I responded with respect to comments made about my choice to use a headline style and particular phrasing. You responded with completely changing the subject and making demands about a totally different area. I don't play that particular game.

That was not "sincere" by any stretch.

Rhetorically (since you seem to be playing rhetoric games),
Tom Galloway

p.s. Are you familiar with the work of John Callahan, the unfortunately deceased cartoonist?

[(Anonymous)]

I have co-chaired the accessibility department at Worldcon (Baltimore 1998) some years are better than others. Chicon 7 was a worse one for several reasons, unfortunately.

Judith Bemis
jcbemis at yahoo dot com

(frozen)

[sasha_feather]

One of the risks of writing something in a joking style is that some people will appreciate the joke and others won't. Such is life.

With that, I am freezing this thread.

[julieandrews]

Chairs with and without arms as well. Some need them to help them sit or stand. For others chair arms might get in the way.

[julieandrews]

Considering Dragoncon is for-profit and well into the black, I think they can darned-well pay for as many interpreters as needed. :P

[cadenzamuse]

Yeah. Exactly. Ugh.

Re: Chicon's Stagg Field

[(Anonymous)]

Stagg Field was not only given as a location, it was shown on the hotel map that was printed inside the gate-fold covers of the pocket program book. The putative location of this nonexistent room was on the Bronze Level of the West Tower, right next to Soldier Field (which does exist). You can go to this URL: https://www.chicon.org/hotel-maps.php, scroll to the bottom and you will see the same map that was printed inside the pocket program book, complete with the supposed location of "Stagg Field" (squint hard, the image is faint and the font is miniscule - and it isn't a whole lot easier to read on paper, either).

I would expect a middle-school bully to find it amusing to send a disabled person on a painful quest to locate a nonexistent room. What I did not expect was to find middle-school bullies running WorldCon.

[stardreamer]

Hear, hear! 56 and bifocals here, and my other pet peeve is teeny-tiny red text on a black background. Or, really, any color of teeny text on a black background; the black just eats contrast.

[elialshadowpine]

Yup. If someone who is actually disabled prefers that term, well, I'm not going to police identification. However, I hear it most often from "allies" who think that they know better.

That is AWESOME about WisCon. I have scent triggered migraines, and part of why I dropped off going to Boskone when I lived in the area there was because so many people wore perfume. It seems to be less of an issue here in the Seattle area; there are some people that wear scents but they tend to do so more lightly and they tend towards natural essential oil based perfumes like BPAL (artificial scents are where I have issues, although this doesn't make a difference for everyone; my partner is much more sensitive than I am and can't handle virtually any perfume or even strong shampoo/conditioner).

There is definitely a difference between Handicap and Access. I will generally forgive the Handicap wording IF they are otherwise making an effort rather than a token, but generally the wording is a good indicator that no, they don't really care all that much. :-\

[jesse_the_k]

PRECISELY. In fact, if someone happens to have 1000 hours and some cash to spend, they could sue Dragon*Con for not providing access via interpreters. The National Association of the Deaf's Law & Advocacy center could help with that — they have a great record of positive judgements for interpreting services.

It's a times like this I'm furious that the only enforcement of the US ADA law is through private legal actions.

/rant. Return to your regularly scheduled discussion.