[Sca-cooks] I quit

[Elaine Koogler]

I am really sorry that this is happening...and shocked at the things you
describe.  I had been under the impression that the SCA was all about
appreciating the differences in people, but I guess that's just not so.  I
shouldn't be surprised...it happened to me a number of years ago when I was
undergoing chemotherapy...I wanted a camping spot at Pennsic in the shade,
near a porta-john (the medication exacerbated my reaction to heat and the
hemi-colectomy made being near a "john" imperative).  This was back before
they did land grab, and you had to have someone there to get the spot for
you and stay on it until you got there.  We couldn't find anyone, so I wrote
the autocrat and asked for help...could a specific spot be set aside for me
and a friend who has MS.  I was told much of what you were told.  When I
wrote back, asking that they reconsider, I signed the letter with my full
alphabet soup...I was a peer at the time.  Wonder of wonders...they fell all
over themselves to get me the spot I wanted!  I was really upset then.
Something like this shouldn't depend on your rank in the Society.

However, I thought things had changed since then, but I guess it hasn't.  I
wouldn't even think of saying and/or doing what has been said and done to
you.  Hopefully we can do something about this.

What do the rest of you think?  Can we?  Can we, as a rather large group
from all over the SCA, start a campaign to force the BoD to make
handicapped-accessible sites a requirement for events?

Kiri
Kiri
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gorgeous Muiredach" <muiredach at bmee.net>
To: "SCA Disabilities List" <SCA-Disabilities at yahoogroups.com>;
<alysk at ix.netcom.com>; <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>; <directors at sca.org>;
<seneschal at midrealm.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:39 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] I quit


> 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
>
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