[Ansteorra] mobility issues, job descriptions, etc. (long)

[Elisabeth B. Zakes]

> I would encourage all event stewards to consider the mobility issues and 
> try to make some positive changes. Perhaps one of the front tables at 
> feasts would be set a bit farther apart to accomodate our wheelchair 
> bound guests and they and their families get priority seating at that 
> table. The table should be marked 'reserved' for that purpose. It will 
> be important that pre-reserved feast participants let the steward know 
> how many seats they will need at that table and how many wheelchair 
> spaces will be needed. The table can be opened up to non handicapped 
> participants if the table isn't filled.

This is an good and valuable idea. However, asking for reserved space at 
the reserved table, and noting that twenty of your friends will be 
sitting with you makes the rest of the table(s) unusable by others who 
wish to reserve space, too. There will always be folks who would rather 
sit with their household or local group, so spacing of all the tables 
should also be looked at.

Ideal spacing, in my world view, is enough room between tables that two 
large Knights (for example) can sit back to back and still have room for 
a third to move between them to serve without spilling soup on the backs 
of the aforementioned sitting Knights. This also allows one to move back 
his chair and get up from the table without smashing into the lady 
behind him. If this spacing also allows those in wheelchairs to move 
easily between the tables, I'd call that an excellent spacing.

Yes, halls are sometimes space-limited. Might we want to think about how 
many people we can comfortably accommodate rather than trying to cram as 
many as we can in the hall? As a steward, given the choice between 
maximizing number of attendants at an event and cramming in tables to 
seat us 150 sardines, and taking note of comfort in the hall, I'll opt 
for comfort and note that the site holds 100 in the event announcement.

And to whomever noted these issues about meeting space, both public and 
private houses, good point! I will be looking much more specifically for 
these things when I'm involved in sites. I, too, am not getting any 
younger, and just because I don't have a special licence plate or blue 
sticker on my car doesn't mean my knees work nearly as well as they did 
28 or even 10 years ago.

As for what was discussed (and complained about) in A.S. X, I can't say, 
but in XII, the talk was that the SCA was nearly not as polite as in the 
"old days". Gentlemen didn't open doors for ladies, there was too much 
"mundane" talk in the hall, no one was covering ice chests, no one was 
offering to carry heavy burdens for those who had trouble. Gee, I think 
I've heard all of this kind of recently, too, haven't you? The issues 
don't go away, we just constantly have new eyes looking at them and 
noticing them.

As for language we use, it depends on what we, as a group, are trying to 
do. Are we trying to re-create the Middle Ages and Renaissance, or are 
we trying to throw a big fancy fantasy dress-up party? If the former, I 
will talk to the event steward and head cook about how wonderful their 
event is, I will tell the porter or gatekeeper that my husband has my 
membership card, and I will sit with the list clerk I'm training to 
manage the pairings on the list field. If the latter, then not covering 
ice chests, talking about the neat computer and dual-monitor system I 
now have at work, and drinking a Diet Coke out of a can doesn't really 
matter, does it? If you choose to speak about the autocrat, feastocrat, 
nastycrat, merchantcrat, troll, etc., I'll probably try not to give you 
a funny look, and I certainly won't correct you. But I, personally, feel 
that there are some traditions of the SCA we should definitely keep 
(courtesy, choosing the Crown the way we do) and some we could let slip 
gracefully into obscurity (riding a dragon to the event instead of 
arriving in a car or carriage, talking to the troll instead of 
gatekeeper). Yes, they're cute terms. To me, they don't fit the ambiance 
I'm looking for at an event. Personally, I choose to try to re-create 
the Middle Ages and Renaissance, even "as they should have been". I 
happen to think that "as they should have been" doesn't include 
dragons, trolls, and elves.

My intent is not to insult or offend. These are my personal opinions. If 
you don't like them or don't agree, do your thing. As I said, I won't 
correct you.

Aethelyan Moondragon
Bryn Gwlad