[Ansteorra] Re: Ansteorra Digest, Vol 26, Issue 50

[Chass Brown]

      Since being placed in a wheelchair I am very vocal about this very 
issue. To point out, I was very vocal with the Event stewards about Gulfwars 
and how bad that site is for handicapped people. I wanted to be able to 
bring my little golfcart, because it recharges alot faster than my 
powerchair and wont get stuck like my powerchair. The response from them was 
no, only powercairs, scooters or manual chairs, if I didnt like it I could 
stay at home. It went before the BOD they decided since their attnys backed 
up what I said they would blame owners of the property after they had 
already admitted it was the Groups Decree not the owners. So I mark Meridies 
and Gulf off my list. Since the site rents to groups it alls under the 
federal guidelines that the site has to meet min requirements. Example 
designated paths that are raised and non slip. I refuse to do anything more 
than I already have but some day someone will sue them and win.

     Any autocrat wants to know if a site is handicapped accessable. Get a 
elcheapo wheelchair. Sit in it. If you as a healthy person can not wheel 
yourself around the site and into all the bldgs and etc, then what makes you 
think someone who is disabeled can? Ramps are a good idea, but make sure 
they can handle the weight and are wide enough. Another thing that urks me. 
I do not wish to have to depend upon others for assistance. I want to be as 
independent as I can, telling me I have to ask other to push me or wait on a 
"Taxi Service" to get me where my powerchair can not. Also most need to know 
Scooters and powerchairs get stuck SOOOOOO easy. They tend to loose traction 
and also the batteries go dead quite quickly. It takes over 8 hours to 
charge the batteries in my powerchair. Where as I can charge a golf carts 
batteries in 2 hours and have a backup set of batteries since they use Car 
Batteries.

     I have been... Blackballed over my fight for my rights at gulf wars. I 
care not if people hate me as long as I can make it a tad better for someone 
else.

In Service of what the dream is for those in wheelchairs;
Chass aka Charinthalis Del Sans
Muddeler of Mead

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert and Tara Brinsfield" <trbrins at fullnet.net>
To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 10:29 AM
Subject: [Ansteorra] Re: Ansteorra Digest, Vol 26, Issue 50


> Dearest Baron Bors,
>
> Thank you so much for reminding our Kingdom populace of what can be done 
> to
> accomodate ALL paticipants. I am of the opinion that it is a most valid
> point.

> As for the ADA legalities. You are so right about all of that. We should
> take ALL of our glorious membership into consideration. THe problem is 
> that
> most of those that are disabled are forgotten about due to no one speaking
> up. Another event I went to, there was a gentleman that had to get around 
> by
> means of a motorized scooter. His cabin reservations left him way down at
> the bottom of a steep hill that was almost impassible with his motorized
> scooter. He was in the cabin next to us. He was extremely courteous and 
> very
> kind in all of his interactions with all of us from our cabin. It was a
> shame that better accomodations was not made for him and those that were
> there with him. It is a simple matter of common courtesy. It shouldn't 
> even
> concern legality, if we just show one of the three basic traits that I 
> feel
> the SCA should personify. As members of the SCA, we should ALL personify
> Chivalry, Courtesy, and Honor. If we aren't doing that to our full
> capability then we delineate on the dream that our game is based off of .
> Courtesy is so important. Not just in the SCA, but in mundane life as 
> well.
> Courtesy is the key to all of the threads that have been talked about on
> this board of late. A little common courtesy can relieve a multitude of
> problematic situations. I think we all could do well with remembering 
> that,
> myself included, ocassionally.
>
> Anyway, that is just my opinion. I figured that since everyone else was
> sharing one, I might as well toss my two cents in too.
>
> YIS,
> Lady Margeurite le Chanvrierre