vividcon open policy suggestion
ETA: DISCUSSION ON THIS POLICY HAS NOW MOVED TO A FRESH POST! PLEASE CONTINUE THERE!
So I feel like a lot of the debate over the Vividcon policies has gotten abstract and people are getting upset because of disagreements that don't have to create conflict in practice.
To try and make the conversation more productive and less hurtful, I have taken a stab at drafting a basic policy revision and am posting it here openly so people can make concrete comments and suggestions about what they would like to see, and help brainstorm a new draft collaboratively.
Note that I've given the concom a heads up that I'm posting this, but I'm not on the concom myself anymore and this isn't official, so please don't take it as such -- this is just my attempt to create a space to discuss the specific issues facing VVC and anyone who might be attending.
VI. Accessibility Policy
Fundamentally, the concom wants to make the con work for anyone who wants to attend, and asks that any members with accessibility concerns that are not completely addressed here please contact access@vividcon.com before the con. The concom will work with members' specific needs to come up with a plan that will work for everyone. (struck per lightgetsin's comment)
If for any reason a member can't contact the concom beforehand or finds there are unexpected difficulties at the con, the concom will try and address issues as they arise at the con itself as quickly as possible; any concom member can be asked for assistance.
If you wish to remain anonymous when discussing any of your accessibility concerns, please feel free to create an anonymous email account to write to the concom; you do not need to identify yourself, just say that you are an attending member and explain your needs. If a member does share their identity, it will be kept confidential except for those concom members who are working on any accommodations.
The access@vividcon.com address will be checked regularly leading up to and during the con so people can request help even while the con is ongoing, and all requests will be responded to as soon as possible. (edit per merryish's suggestion)
About The Event Space
The hotel is about a five minute taxi ride from O'Hare Airport. (We strongly advise flying in to O'Hare rather than into Midway, which is much further away.) Wheelchair-accessible taxis can be ordered by calling Chicago Central Dispatch at 1-800-281-4466. More details are available at http://www.easyaccesschicago.org/transportation, which also has details for how to get discounted vouchers ($5 each way) for anyone who is a registered paratransit rider.
The hotel is located at 8101 West Higgins Road (link goes to Google Maps where you can zoom in to see more detail of the area). The hotel is on a busy four-lane road with no sidewalks on that side of the road, which unfortunately makes the grocery store, most of the nearby restaurants, and the nearby CTA station inaccessible. The hotel shuttle (which is not wheelchair-accessible) will sometimes be willing to provide a ride, but this is sporadic.
The hotel does have a fully accessible Outback Steak House and the front desk will provide menus of local restaurants that deliver. The rooms come equipped with a fridge and microwave. In addition, if you need specific help (a ride, a grocery run etc), please let us know. While we cannot provide services directly, our convention is small and friendly and we will do our best to help you get the word out about your specific needs or point you to resources being organized by other attendees. (added per morgandawn's suggestions here and here)
Nearly all con events take place in the second floor function space in five meeting rooms that are in close proximity to one another and the hotel elevators. Here is a floorplan that may help in planning (click for larger size):
(added per musesfool's suggestion)
During the high crowding times of registration and Club Vivid (including the cocktail hour), tape will be put down to mark off a "mobility line" as seen on the floorplan. We ask that no members congregate below the mobility line, in order to keep a clear path open between the elevators, restrooms, con suite, and quiet hangout room. At these times, a volunteer will be on duty in the quiet hangout room to bring registration packets or drinks and snacks as available to any members sitting here.
(edit per suggestions in this thread)
The concom will be happy to describe the space in more detail for new attendees and to work out any accommodations you might need.
Members with mobility issues can be let into the Premieres show and other major events early. In addition, each year we set aside dedicated seating space in the vidshow and panel rooms for our members with disabilities, including space for wheelchairs and scooters, based on the needs of that year's attending members. Because the number of people who use this space changes from year to year and because the seating layout may change between panels and vid shows, we appreciate advanced notice from members who know or think they might need space so that we can plan accordingly. Please let the concom know of your needs at access@vividcon.com.
If additional needs arise at the con, they will be addressed as quickly as possible. (edits per discussion in this thread)
The hotel's guest rooms generally have wheelchair-accessible front doors but not bathroom doors. Members with strength or mobility issues may want to avoid those on the second floor, as the guest room areas on this one floor are separated from the elevators and function space by heavy doors that do not open automatically. On the other floors, there are no such doors.
The hotel has some rooms classed as accessible which have a larger bathroom with handrails, an adjustable showerhead that can be hand-held, and a shower chair, some with a standard tub and others with a shower stall, and a light signal on the room door for the hearing-impaired. Room doors are not self-opening; you may want to bring a doorstop or the concom can provide one if notified in advance. (edits to these two paragraphs per trixie and sisabet and morgandawn's comments) If you ask, hotel staff will also move end tables out of your room to make more space for your equipment.
Aides if any are also welcome, they just need to be over 18. The concom asks that any member who will have aides attending with them let the concom know in advance how many aides will be coming; special badges will be made up for them to ensure access throughout the con, and included in the member's registration packet.
All service animals are welcome at the hotel. The hotel has a smoke-free policy throughout and can provide hypoallergenic pillows on request. (edit per emmzuka's comment -- anyone know of other accommodations the hotel can provide for allergic/asthmatic attendees, or who can comment on how the hotel has been regarding them?)
Other Issues
Some large-print programs are printed up each year. If you let the concom know in advance that you want one, we will ensure that one is put in your membership pack; more copies will also be available on the reg table and in the con suite. Most of the information in the con program will also be posted on the con website starting Thursday after registration.
The con rents most of its audio/visual equipment from outside vendors and the configuration often changes from year to year. Any members with hearing limitations are asked to contact the concom as early as possible so we can provide a good solution. (edits per emmzuka's thread
The concom will also do our best to address all accessibility issues, whether visible or not, and in particular members are encouraged to contact the concom about emotional triggers that may be hit while viewing vids. The VJs know and have seen all the vids in the vidshows in advance, even the premiering ones, so the concom can alert members to those vids which might be problematic for them. Please write to access@vividcon.com with questions and feel free to use an anonymous email address for any of these.
In addition, all vidshows are available on videotape after the show is over, and all of the hotel rooms come equipped with a VCR.(edit added per fan_eunice's suggestion) Vidshow tapes can be signed out for viewing in the con suite or in private hotel rooms for full control over the viewing experience and/or more comfortable conditions. If alerted in advance, the concom can give priority access to the tapes of particular shows for members who are unable to see them "live". If you have brought a laptop or DVD player, you can also sign out the DVD copies of the vidshow as well.(edit per melina's comment)
Vidders and VJs are further invited to provide general warnings about their vids and vidshows, either in the blurbs printed directly in the con program, or as additional sheets which will be made available in the con suite.
Extra notes about changes that don't go into the policy itself (eg form changes for next year):
A few explanatory notes about this draft:
- I feel like the main points to get across in the policy are, (1) list the basic features of the hotel and function space so members can figure out what challenges might exist for them, and (2) most importantly, convey that the concom really wants to be a partner in helping all members have a great time (which in my experience and knowledge of the concom is totally true!), AND try to make it easy and inviting to let the concom know whatever a member might need to make that happen.
Then if by some chance any request looks like it might pose a real logistical problem, which is not likely and AFAIK has not happened in practice, the concom can worry about it then and be creative coming up with workarounds. Given the small size of the con, it doesn't make sense to let worst-case-scenario planning eat the policy and make it feel like asking for help is making trouble.
Anyway, that is my basic approach here, and hopefully that makes sense to you all given the specific situation of this con.
- Second, on the triggers issue: I've seen several suggestions of using an AO3-type solution for warning for vids; as someone who helped come up with that solution, I want to point out that the AO3 policy is just a decently practical compromise solution for a giant public archive with tens of thousands of stories posted unmoderated to be read by hundreds of thousands of readers.
By contrast, at Vividcon the vidshows are curated by a small group of people and shown to at most 150 members. By the time the con actually rolls around, there are about 10-15 people who among them have seen every single vid that is going to be shown including the premiering vids, and the number of members who have triggers is going to be another small group. This much more limited group means it is feasible to address the specific needs of the actual viewers.
For instance, let's say someone is triggered by bunnies (I'm using a silly example here on purpose so it's not triggery to talk about). On the AO3, that person is hard up because it is too rare a trigger to merit requiring everyone to warn for it, and she can't rely on authors -- even ones who sincerely want to label their stories accurately -- warning about it.
With Vividcon, if someone says to the concom "I am triggered by bunnies," there's no reason why that can't be addressed. The concom can shoot out an email to the VJs saying "Let us know if any of the vids in your show have bunnies," and then pass along to the person, "Avoid these two vids in these two shows, and if you are also triggered by people in bunny costumes, there are two more vids that use Anya in her bunny outfit in one clip here."
Along with addressing triggers that might not be covered by a standard list at all, by being more specific to individual viewers, this method also minimizes the number of vids that anyone actually needs to skip for their safety. This is way better for people who are coming to the con because they love vids and want to watch a lot of them with fellow vid fans and talk about the vids that were shown. If a generic "graphic violence" warning on the AO3 knocks out 1000 stories, leaving 4000 to read, that is a lot lower cost than the same generic warning at Vividcon that knocks out 1/5 of the vids being shown, sometimes maybe for just one or two clips, if that's not what a viewer really needs.
As far as privacy, only one concom member would need to be asked for the query to be passed along and information passed back, plus if that felt uncomfortable, the person asking could easily make a gmail account to ask for the heads-up in total anonymity and no one ever has to know who was asking.
Anyway, that is why asking about triggers is IMO a much better solution for this particular situation than something like the AO3 archive warnings system. And vidders and VJs would still have full freedom to warn/describe their vids however they like in the blurbs, or to separately provide more detailed warnings in the con suite or online.
So that is my stab at this; I totally invite anyone to suggest changes or improvements, but I ask that you please keep comments concrete and focused on the actual policy, and also in a collaborative spirit & assuming that everyone involved in the discussion wants a good and effective policy for the con.
I intend for this to be a space for friendly and productive discussion, and I will be moderating comments to that end. If I feel a thread is getting heated, I will freeze it and ask all participants to please take a breather and come back to the discussion in a bit.
For practical purposes, I suggest following the above model -- ie, first post your specific suggested changes/additions to the policy text (I used tags around the text to separate it, which you can use in your comments too), and then add any explanations you feel would be helpful in understanding where you're coming from underneath. The tag can also be used to cross out text if you're making edits and want to make it clear what you're cutting out. When I incorporate edits, I'll use that above, also, and I'll link back to the source comments whether they are on lj or dw.
If you like a suggested edit and want to just quickly sign on to it, you are welcome to post a quickie comment underneath it with a "+1" in the subject line!
Note: I don't allow unsigned anonymous comments in my lj/dw, sorry; I'll unscreen signed anon comments as quickly as possible.
ETA: DISCUSSION ON THIS POLICY HAS NOW MOVED TO A FRESH POST! PLEASE CONTINUE THERE!
You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)
So I feel like a lot of the debate over the Vividcon policies has gotten abstract and people are getting upset because of disagreements that don't have to create conflict in practice.
To try and make the conversation more productive and less hurtful, I have taken a stab at drafting a basic policy revision and am posting it here openly so people can make concrete comments and suggestions about what they would like to see, and help brainstorm a new draft collaboratively.
Note that I've given the concom a heads up that I'm posting this, but I'm not on the concom myself anymore and this isn't official, so please don't take it as such -- this is just my attempt to create a space to discuss the specific issues facing VVC and anyone who might be attending.
VI. Accessibility Policy
Fundamentally, the concom wants to make the con work for anyone who wants to attend, and asks that any members with accessibility concerns that are not completely addressed here please contact access@vividcon.com before the con. The concom will work with members' specific needs to come up with a plan that will work for everyone. (struck per lightgetsin's comment)
If for any reason a member can't contact the concom beforehand or finds there are unexpected difficulties at the con, the concom will try and address issues as they arise at the con itself as quickly as possible; any concom member can be asked for assistance.
If you wish to remain anonymous when discussing any of your accessibility concerns, please feel free to create an anonymous email account to write to the concom; you do not need to identify yourself, just say that you are an attending member and explain your needs. If a member does share their identity, it will be kept confidential except for those concom members who are working on any accommodations.
The access@vividcon.com address will be checked regularly leading up to and during the con so people can request help even while the con is ongoing, and all requests will be responded to as soon as possible. (edit per merryish's suggestion)
About The Event Space
The hotel is about a five minute taxi ride from O'Hare Airport. (We strongly advise flying in to O'Hare rather than into Midway, which is much further away.) Wheelchair-accessible taxis can be ordered by calling Chicago Central Dispatch at 1-800-281-4466. More details are available at http://www.easyaccesschicago.org/transportation, which also has details for how to get discounted vouchers ($5 each way) for anyone who is a registered paratransit rider.
The hotel is located at 8101 West Higgins Road (link goes to Google Maps where you can zoom in to see more detail of the area). The hotel is on a busy four-lane road with no sidewalks on that side of the road, which unfortunately makes the grocery store, most of the nearby restaurants, and the nearby CTA station inaccessible. The hotel shuttle (which is not wheelchair-accessible) will sometimes be willing to provide a ride, but this is sporadic.
The hotel does have a fully accessible Outback Steak House and the front desk will provide menus of local restaurants that deliver. The rooms come equipped with a fridge and microwave. In addition, if you need specific help (a ride, a grocery run etc), please let us know. While we cannot provide services directly, our convention is small and friendly and we will do our best to help you get the word out about your specific needs or point you to resources being organized by other attendees. (added per morgandawn's suggestions here and here)
Nearly all con events take place in the second floor function space in five meeting rooms that are in close proximity to one another and the hotel elevators. Here is a floorplan that may help in planning (click for larger size):
(added per musesfool's suggestion)
During the high crowding times of registration and Club Vivid (including the cocktail hour), tape will be put down to mark off a "mobility line" as seen on the floorplan. We ask that no members congregate below the mobility line, in order to keep a clear path open between the elevators, restrooms, con suite, and quiet hangout room. At these times, a volunteer will be on duty in the quiet hangout room to bring registration packets or drinks and snacks as available to any members sitting here.
(edit per suggestions in this thread)
The concom will be happy to describe the space in more detail for new attendees and to work out any accommodations you might need.
Members with mobility issues can be let into the Premieres show and other major events early. In addition, each year we set aside dedicated seating space in the vidshow and panel rooms for our members with disabilities, including space for wheelchairs and scooters, based on the needs of that year's attending members. Because the number of people who use this space changes from year to year and because the seating layout may change between panels and vid shows, we appreciate advanced notice from members who know or think they might need space so that we can plan accordingly. Please let the concom know of your needs at access@vividcon.com.
If additional needs arise at the con, they will be addressed as quickly as possible. (edits per discussion in this thread)
The hotel's guest rooms generally have wheelchair-accessible front doors but not bathroom doors. Members with strength or mobility issues may want to avoid those on the second floor, as the guest room areas on this one floor are separated from the elevators and function space by heavy doors that do not open automatically. On the other floors, there are no such doors.
The hotel has some rooms classed as accessible which have a larger bathroom with handrails, an adjustable showerhead that can be hand-held, and a shower chair, some with a standard tub and others with a shower stall, and a light signal on the room door for the hearing-impaired. Room doors are not self-opening; you may want to bring a doorstop or the concom can provide one if notified in advance. (edits to these two paragraphs per trixie and sisabet and morgandawn's comments) If you ask, hotel staff will also move end tables out of your room to make more space for your equipment.
Aides if any are also welcome, they just need to be over 18. The concom asks that any member who will have aides attending with them let the concom know in advance how many aides will be coming; special badges will be made up for them to ensure access throughout the con, and included in the member's registration packet.
All service animals are welcome at the hotel. The hotel has a smoke-free policy throughout and can provide hypoallergenic pillows on request. (edit per emmzuka's comment -- anyone know of other accommodations the hotel can provide for allergic/asthmatic attendees, or who can comment on how the hotel has been regarding them?)
Other Issues
Some large-print programs are printed up each year. If you let the concom know in advance that you want one, we will ensure that one is put in your membership pack; more copies will also be available on the reg table and in the con suite. Most of the information in the con program will also be posted on the con website starting Thursday after registration.
The con rents most of its audio/visual equipment from outside vendors and the configuration often changes from year to year. Any members with hearing limitations are asked to contact the concom as early as possible so we can provide a good solution. (edits per emmzuka's thread
The concom will also do our best to address all accessibility issues, whether visible or not, and in particular members are encouraged to contact the concom about emotional triggers that may be hit while viewing vids. The VJs know and have seen all the vids in the vidshows in advance, even the premiering ones, so the concom can alert members to those vids which might be problematic for them. Please write to access@vividcon.com with questions and feel free to use an anonymous email address for any of these.
In addition, all vidshows are available on videotape after the show is over, and all of the hotel rooms come equipped with a VCR.(edit added per fan_eunice's suggestion) Vidshow tapes can be signed out for viewing in the con suite or in private hotel rooms for full control over the viewing experience and/or more comfortable conditions. If alerted in advance, the concom can give priority access to the tapes of particular shows for members who are unable to see them "live". If you have brought a laptop or DVD player, you can also sign out the DVD copies of the vidshow as well.(edit per melina's comment)
Vidders and VJs are further invited to provide general warnings about their vids and vidshows, either in the blurbs printed directly in the con program, or as additional sheets which will be made available in the con suite.
Extra notes about changes that don't go into the policy itself (eg form changes for next year):
- The reg form next year will include a line saying "I'd like to request dedicated seating space at the con" with a checkbox for vidshow room, checkbox for panel room, and a note beneath that a concom member will be in touch to discuss specific placement, and also a line saying "I'd like to request a large-print program" with a radio button. (per minnaway's suggestion)
A few explanatory notes about this draft:
- I feel like the main points to get across in the policy are, (1) list the basic features of the hotel and function space so members can figure out what challenges might exist for them, and (2) most importantly, convey that the concom really wants to be a partner in helping all members have a great time (which in my experience and knowledge of the concom is totally true!), AND try to make it easy and inviting to let the concom know whatever a member might need to make that happen.
Then if by some chance any request looks like it might pose a real logistical problem, which is not likely and AFAIK has not happened in practice, the concom can worry about it then and be creative coming up with workarounds. Given the small size of the con, it doesn't make sense to let worst-case-scenario planning eat the policy and make it feel like asking for help is making trouble.
Anyway, that is my basic approach here, and hopefully that makes sense to you all given the specific situation of this con.
- Second, on the triggers issue: I've seen several suggestions of using an AO3-type solution for warning for vids; as someone who helped come up with that solution, I want to point out that the AO3 policy is just a decently practical compromise solution for a giant public archive with tens of thousands of stories posted unmoderated to be read by hundreds of thousands of readers.
By contrast, at Vividcon the vidshows are curated by a small group of people and shown to at most 150 members. By the time the con actually rolls around, there are about 10-15 people who among them have seen every single vid that is going to be shown including the premiering vids, and the number of members who have triggers is going to be another small group. This much more limited group means it is feasible to address the specific needs of the actual viewers.
For instance, let's say someone is triggered by bunnies (I'm using a silly example here on purpose so it's not triggery to talk about). On the AO3, that person is hard up because it is too rare a trigger to merit requiring everyone to warn for it, and she can't rely on authors -- even ones who sincerely want to label their stories accurately -- warning about it.
With Vividcon, if someone says to the concom "I am triggered by bunnies," there's no reason why that can't be addressed. The concom can shoot out an email to the VJs saying "Let us know if any of the vids in your show have bunnies," and then pass along to the person, "Avoid these two vids in these two shows, and if you are also triggered by people in bunny costumes, there are two more vids that use Anya in her bunny outfit in one clip here."
Along with addressing triggers that might not be covered by a standard list at all, by being more specific to individual viewers, this method also minimizes the number of vids that anyone actually needs to skip for their safety. This is way better for people who are coming to the con because they love vids and want to watch a lot of them with fellow vid fans and talk about the vids that were shown. If a generic "graphic violence" warning on the AO3 knocks out 1000 stories, leaving 4000 to read, that is a lot lower cost than the same generic warning at Vividcon that knocks out 1/5 of the vids being shown, sometimes maybe for just one or two clips, if that's not what a viewer really needs.
As far as privacy, only one concom member would need to be asked for the query to be passed along and information passed back, plus if that felt uncomfortable, the person asking could easily make a gmail account to ask for the heads-up in total anonymity and no one ever has to know who was asking.
Anyway, that is why asking about triggers is IMO a much better solution for this particular situation than something like the AO3 archive warnings system. And vidders and VJs would still have full freedom to warn/describe their vids however they like in the blurbs, or to separately provide more detailed warnings in the con suite or online.
So that is my stab at this; I totally invite anyone to suggest changes or improvements, but I ask that you please keep comments concrete and focused on the actual policy, and also in a collaborative spirit & assuming that everyone involved in the discussion wants a good and effective policy for the con.
I intend for this to be a space for friendly and productive discussion, and I will be moderating comments to that end. If I feel a thread is getting heated, I will freeze it and ask all participants to please take a breather and come back to the discussion in a bit.
For practical purposes, I suggest following the above model -- ie, first post your specific suggested changes/additions to the policy text (I used tags around the text to separate it, which you can use in your comments too), and then add any explanations you feel would be helpful in understanding where you're coming from underneath. The tag can also be used to cross out text if you're making edits and want to make it clear what you're cutting out. When I incorporate edits, I'll use that above, also, and I'll link back to the source comments whether they are on lj or dw.
If you like a suggested edit and want to just quickly sign on to it, you are welcome to post a quickie comment underneath it with a "+1" in the subject line!
Note: I don't allow unsigned anonymous comments in my lj/dw, sorry; I'll unscreen signed anon comments as quickly as possible.
ETA: DISCUSSION ON THIS POLICY HAS NOW MOVED TO A FRESH POST! PLEASE CONTINUE THERE!
You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)