[ST] staff Digest, Vol 63, Issue 7

[Kestrell]

Agreed. Upon further consideration, my main anxiety is the potential for 
abuse and further resentment of PWD, as someone mentioned in a post on 
parking for PWD.

However, either that will happen or it won't, and trying it seems like the 
only way to find out which way it will fall.

Kes

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Kesselman (yes, the address is real)" 
<keshlam-nospam at comcast.net>
To: <staff at arisia.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: [ST] staff Digest, Vol 63, Issue 7


> staff-request at arisia.org wrote:
>> A couple of more reasons why the audience you are trying to target --  
>> that
>> is, people with disabilities -- are less likely to take advantage of this
>> service, even if it were to be put into practice:
>
> Fine; that means it has that much less impact on the rest of the con...
>
> I'm not sure I have an opinion; I know I don't have a valid opinion...
> but I think self-selection is an idea worth considering, and possibly
> trying. The hotel offers a few rooms specially equipped for that
> community, and trusts people to decide whether they should request one;
> we *could* do likewise.
>
> I'd be inclined to say "try it once and see whether it has any adverse
> effect". But I'm just as glad that I'm completely uninvolved in actually
> making the decision, since what you've got here is two strong sets of
> opinions...
>
>
>>
>> 1. most people with disabilities are very self-conscious about asking for
>> preferential treatment, and would probably be unlikely to use it;
>> 2. most PWD, like myself, don't like leaving their friends in order to 
>> get
>> somewhere a little faster, particularly as often some of the best
>> conversations at con happen while waiting in lines;
>> 3. a lot of PWD view the quote special unquoe form of id with a high 
>> degree
>> of suspicion, felling --and often rightfully so-- that being designated 
>> as
>> "special" is a form of labeling.
>>
>> I appreciate what a fine line it can be to increase access while also not
>> taking away from the limited resources of the group, but hopefully 
>> something
>> like elevator resources can be left to the public at large to manage.
>>
>>  Kes
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Bill Y" <wsy at merl.com>
>> To: <rose at tocotox.net>
>> Cc: <staff at arisia.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 9:08 AM
>> Subject: Re: [ST] [SA] Arisia Elevator Management
>>
>>
>>
>>>  From: "Rose Fox" <rose at tocotox.net>
>>>
>>>  On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 4:09 PM, Bill Y <wsy at merl.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>  >
>>>  >   From: "Rose Fox" <rose at tocotox.net>
>>>  >
>>>  >   Any thoughts about "blue placard" badges for disabled attendees, 
>>> who
>>>get
>>>  > to
>>>  >   jump to the front of elevator lines?
>>>  >
>>>  > I would object to that.
>>>
>>>
>>>  Would you mind specifying why?
>>>
>>>Sure.
>>>
>>>  "Separate is inherently unequal"
>>>
>>>Also consider:
>>>
>>> What about parents with Really Small Kids on their backs / in tow?
>>>
>>> What about people who happpened to twist their ankle partying Friday
>>>Night?
>>>
>>> What about people who are -just friends with- someone who is blue-badge?
>>>    Can they take the elevator too?  Or do they have to run up 14
>>>    flights of stairs to the Art Show to be with their friend?
>>>
>>>
>>>Where do you draw the line?
>>>
>>>If Arisia decides who gets a blue badge and who doesn't, we open
>>>ourselves to lawsuits by anyone who is disgruntled (non-blues
>>>by denial of facilities, blues by "singling them out with a
>>>distinctive badge")
>>>
>>>The simple solution (Anybody can take the elevator if they are
>>>willing to wait in line) works; the value of the elevator is
>>>constant across all Convention members, and our legal exposure
>>>is minimized.
>>>
>>>IANAL, but treating everyone equally with a purposefully blind
>>>eye is generally legal to do.
>>>
>>>Note that this is what Disney has done on all new and refurb rides;
>>>instead of a "side gate" for handicapped transfers, the ride is fully
>>>accessible all the way to the transfer points, so handicapped or
>>>wheelchair users get exactly the same treatment in line as everybody
>>>else, and everyone can visually verify that.
>>>
>>>It also avoids splitting up groups that contain but are not
>>>completely handicapped.
>>>
>>>  - Crash
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>staff mailing list
>>>staff at arisia.org
>>>http://arisia.org/mailman/listinfo/staff
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
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>>
>>
>> End of staff Digest, Vol 63, Issue 7
>> ************************************
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Joe Kesselman / Beware the fury of a patient man. -- John Dryden
>
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