[Sca-cooks] Wheelchairs- OT- was Cooks Symposium Dec 4

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach marilyn traber 011221:
>  > Thank you for letting us know.  I wanted to attend... but am in a
>wheelchair.
>>  Scratch another event.
>>
>>  Ranvaig
>
>Now this is ridiculous. We have two very serious Cooks, who have a lot to
>offer to any event, not just a cooking symposium, and they can't go because
>the site's not wheelchair accessible. What can we do, to encourage
>Accessibilty for everyone. While I personally, could deal with steps, on a
>bad knee day I really don't want to, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Any ideas,
>folks? I'm starting to get really angry.

The problem you're going to run into is the availability, or the lack 
thereof, of the perfect site. Lots of them are not wheelchair 
accessible, or are dry (which ticks off brewers -- remember the 
brewing Laurel who didn't want us to hold an A&S Expo because she 
couldn't bring her stuff?), or have any of several other drawbacks 
which make them less than perfect, but often preferable to no event 
at all.

As much as I hate to say it, probably the best solution to getting 
such people as have difficulty with stairs, etc., is for local groups 
to commit to finding local sites on, or close to, one level, build a 
ramp if necessary, possibly elect a porter for the group whose job is 
to figure out the logistics of such things.

There may actually be event stewards who jump at the first site they 
can get, and don't worry about the problem of accessibility, as long 
as the other necessary conditions are met, but I doubt that's really 
any kind of intention on their part. It's just that in many places, 
sites we can use are increasingly hard to find, and this is just one 
of many reasons.

Another possibility is that your (the generic you, not you, Phlip) 
local group, or whoever is hosting the event, might discuss with such 
sites that we use frequently, simply building a ramp. Obviously this 
won't be practical or doable all the time, but if it is, and it makes 
the site more useful all year round, I've known the site to jump at 
the chance for a little cheap capital improvement using free SCA 
labor.

Adamantius
-- 
"As long as but a hundred of us remain  alive, never will we on any 
conditions be brought under English rule.  It is in truth not for 
glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are  fighting, but for freedom 
-- for that alone, which no honest man gives  up but with life 
itself."
	-- The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
	-- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry 
Holt, 07/29/04