SC - earning awards

[Chris Stanifer]

R. Del Boccio wrote

> > Lord Ras, I must respectfully disagree with you on "special
> > needs."  We need to realize that the SCA is subject to the
> > mundane laws of the land, one of which is the Americans with
> > Disabilities Act.  Sites should be as accessible as
> > possible, and if they are not, then there are often ways
> > people can help to make it as accessible as possible.  This
> > does not mean every recipe has to be altered for someone
> > with food allergies, but we do have a lot of cooks in the
> > Outlands who will do their best.  I know many of you do as
> > well.  Naturally, a lot of people with food allergies have
> > "safe" food with them and may even choose not to feast if a
> > large number of allergens is present.
> >
> > A lot of people in SCA have physical limitations of some
> > kind, such as diabetes, asthma, fibromyalgia, deafness, and
> > the more obvious disabilities that require wheelchairs and
> > canes and things.  The groups need to do the best they can
> > to be sure that all are welcome and able to participate.
> > Not only is this a matter of courtesy and chivalry and the
> > high ideals we strive for, but is is the law of the land.
> > Most people will not, but people could file a lawsuit for
> > lack of access, and they could file a complaint with the
> > government.  SCA is a non-profit educational organization.

to which Lainie rebutted:
>Sorry to butt in here, but no, we're not, at least not how you're
>suggesting.

>The ADA applies to the workplace (as in accomodation for employees) and
>for public accomodation, as in restaurants, offices, etc. We are a
>private non-profit, we do not own buildings, we are not publicly funded.
>Our corporate employees must be accomodated, but attendees at events?
>No. It is honorable and good to think of those among us who have
>disabilities when we plan events and look for site. But we are not
>required to do so by the ADA.

>Some local governments may have regulations for large gatherings. They
>usually have rules about how many porta-privies you must have per the
>number of attendees, and usually there is a portion therof that must be
>handicap-accessible. That is local regulation, not the ADA.

>The athletic activities in the SCA have little to do with accomodation
>for the disabled on site. When someone wants to participate, and can do
>so with no danger to others, any further risk falls on themselves (and
>we all sign waivers). The ADA does not cover athletic activities nor was
>it meant to.


I would like to add to Lainie's comments:
As a designer of facilities, I assure all on this list that I am
exceptionally well versed in the provisions of the Americans
With Disabilities Act (ADA).  From the long commentary on
this string, I see that most respondants are not aware of the
full provisions of the act.  FOREMOST is that this is NOT
a universal act and as the "law of the land", it is very specifically
limited in its scope.  There are many, many exemptions to this
federal law and much misunderstanding by the public.  First,
it is a LAW, not a code; and this law applies mainly to facilities
owned by governments and to retail and institutional businesses
open to the public.   For instance, CHURCHES are exempt, as
are private facilities not generally open to the public.  Since a
large portion of the facilities which the SCA rents for events are
places such as church-owned camps, buildings, halls, etc. or other
types of private "club" type facilities, the SCA should not worry about
ant legalities of sites not being ADA accessible.  Furthermore,
there are specific clauses in the ADA itself that exempt existing
facilities if it is "structurally infeasible" or "of excessive financial
cost"
to bring an existing facility into full compliance.  As a whole lot of
the older facilities are not very valuable in terms of building value
(cabins, state park groupcamps, etc), these are also in most cases
exempt as well.  Finally, there is a clause that exempts structures
that are "historic" if compliance would destroy the historic character
of the site. A lot of WPA built camps are covered in this exemption.

For the most part, DON"T WORRY about the lack of SCA
event sites not in compliance.  Even if we built and owned our
own sites, the SCA would be mostly exempt from the provisions of the
ADA.  As a courtesy to our disabled membership, finding ADA
compliant sites is wonderful; it is just not a workable priority, given
the nature of what we do and the general scarcity of available
facilities which we may reasonably expect to rent.

To be sure, most sites will have SOME provisions for the
disabled through established building CODES governing the
standards of construction where facilities are built. Just do not
expect that the ADA will apply as well in most cases.  Even
in the best cases, we will seldom find that the commercial
kitchen, for instance, will have cooking facilities designed to
facilitate blind, wheelchair bound or otherwise physically
impaired cooks.  I would say generally, DON"T MAKE
A FEDERAL CASE OF IT.

Akim Yaroslavich
"No glory comes without pain"