Talk me down. Or up. Some direction, at least.
The more I think about it, the more I want to volunteer myself as Geek Girl Con's accessibility coordinator. Even though I have no idea how that would even work without living in the Seattle area. Also, I totally just made up that title. And job. Err...
The con was so awesome, with the only exception of some layout issues that weren't anyone's fault, really. Were they supposed to turn down the EMP's offer to host part of the con? Sure, it's at exactly as far away as you can get from the main con site while still being in the Seattle Center. And they didn't have the time or resources to coordinate a way to get people with disabilities (or even families with small children) between sites. So again I don't blame anyone, they did what they could, but I did miss out on some panels I would have liked to attend because I didn't have the time or energy to go back and forth. And I can't have been the only one.
I feel like the con, as concerned as it is with being a safe, inviting space, could use a voice in the planning meetings who's primarily concerned with making sure things aren't accidentally inaccessible. I want to make sure there's sufficient blue badge parking and that people know where the ramps and elevators are. I want to supply large print con materials and get ASL interpreters for a couple of the biggest panels. I want to keep helpful Seattle FAQ website posts from calling the weather "schizophrenic", hopefully before it goes up this time. And I want to cultivate a community of con goers to provide accessibility suggestions, because I can't possibly think of everything on my own. That's where the "coordinator" bit of my completely made up title comes in, by the way.
Or maybe I should get involved in some disability advocacy stuff in my actual community. But they tend to be less about Star Trek references and more about suing the city about inadequate curb cuts. Ho hum.
Either way, I totally want to moderate a panel next year on disabled superheroes. Any suggestions?
The con was so awesome, with the only exception of some layout issues that weren't anyone's fault, really. Were they supposed to turn down the EMP's offer to host part of the con? Sure, it's at exactly as far away as you can get from the main con site while still being in the Seattle Center. And they didn't have the time or resources to coordinate a way to get people with disabilities (or even families with small children) between sites. So again I don't blame anyone, they did what they could, but I did miss out on some panels I would have liked to attend because I didn't have the time or energy to go back and forth. And I can't have been the only one.
I feel like the con, as concerned as it is with being a safe, inviting space, could use a voice in the planning meetings who's primarily concerned with making sure things aren't accidentally inaccessible. I want to make sure there's sufficient blue badge parking and that people know where the ramps and elevators are. I want to supply large print con materials and get ASL interpreters for a couple of the biggest panels. I want to keep helpful Seattle FAQ website posts from calling the weather "schizophrenic", hopefully before it goes up this time. And I want to cultivate a community of con goers to provide accessibility suggestions, because I can't possibly think of everything on my own. That's where the "coordinator" bit of my completely made up title comes in, by the way.
Or maybe I should get involved in some disability advocacy stuff in my actual community. But they tend to be less about Star Trek references and more about suing the city about inadequate curb cuts. Ho hum.
Either way, I totally want to moderate a panel next year on disabled superheroes. Any suggestions?