[Sca-cooks] I quit

[Gorgeous Muiredach]

As you may know, I use a wheelchair to get around.  I have been in the SCA
for a little less than a short year.  During that year, I have encountered
many obstacles to my participation at events.  Event sites not being
accessible to me, and other people with mobility impairments is part of the
problem.  The bigger part of the problem is the attitude found nearly
everywhere that it doesn't really matter if a site is not accessible.

Excuses are made.  "It's too expensive".  "We rent the site, we have no
control".  "We can't afford it".

When offers to help identify solutions are made, they are too often plain
ignored.  That is, when I'm not simply told to my face "there are not
enough of 'you' [read people in wheelchair], we don't have to be
accessible".  Imagine telling someone they can't go in an event because
they are African-American?  How well would that go over?  Yeah, plain and
pure discrimination.

You also hear: "The SCA is a private club, we dont' have to comply with the
law".  Screw the law, just think of the concept of society...  You are
supposed to make people feel welcome!  That being said, the SCA is NOT
excempt from complying with Title II of the ADA, or any number of other
state and local laws and regulations.  If you question that affirmation of
mine, I would be glad to provide you with excerpts taken from the text of
the law and technical manuals concerning the law.

What's worse, the BOD, and apparently several Kingdoms, don't give a shit
either.  A group that only had access to one accessible site in their town
was told by BOD not to force the hall to comply with the law.

No sanctions were taken against some people that openly discriminated
against me around a fairly recent 12th night event.

So, you win.  The angry gimp is going away.  You won't have to deal with me
anymore.  I'll join the growing ranks of the disgruntled.  But there might
be someone behind me that will get angry enough to file a lawsuit, and when
that happen, don't act too surprised.

To those of you, my friends, who have made efforts to find solutions, to
plan ahead, I thank you.  I shan't forget you, I just can't deal with the
pervasive sense of not being wanted at events anymore.  Too many people,
too many times.  I have enough of that in my real life, everyday.  When I'm
going to a recreational group, I don't want to have to constantly fight.

Have fun.

Nicolas Steenhout
was
Gorgeous Muiredach
Rokkehealden Shire
Middle Kingdom
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry