Friday, September 15, 2000

You don't know something that is sitting right in front of you. I'm usually NOT this clueless, but when one of my friends says that she's watched me over the last year, and is pleased with my growth, you have to think about what friendships mean. Some people think that friendships are just THERE, and you don't do anything with them... but, friendships with people means that you interact with the other person, and you grow and learn with the other person, and you even laugh and cry with friends. When someone tells me something like what I read today, I feel warm inside, and glad to BE friends with this person. My life would be definitely different and a lot less fun, without Domynoe. And I hope she realizes what she means to me.

posted by ">DanaWheels ~*~ 9/15/2000 07:30:00 PM ~*~ link

The letter has been sent. I just hope that the convention sees fit to get rid of the barriers and let me exercise my civil rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act. I don't WANT to sue the convention, but I will if necessary. The hotel, on the other hand, will probably be sued because of the violations in the ADAAG. Not giving disabled the type of room they want (king bed or two queens), is the biggest problem. All the disabled rooms have two queen beds. I want to sleep with my husband, not be in separate beds! Sheesh!

No answer from the convention yet. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Are they going to fix these problems? Or are they going to decide to fight this? I know how those Americans felt when they fought to be allowed in a white man's restroom, or at the front of the bus, and it's not for everyone to do this. Some can't fight for their civil rights, so it's up to the rest of us to do so.

posted by ">DanaWheels ~*~ 9/15/2000 12:15:45 AM ~*~ link

Monday, September 11, 2000

I've been told that I need to be an advocate for those with disabilities. Well, for years I've volunteered for a local mid-sized science fiction convention and I let them violate the civil rights of people with disabilities, because they told me that if I sued the hotel or them, they'd tell the entire fandom in the Pacific Northwest what I'd done. That usually made me back down. But not today. Today, I called a friend that works for ADA Consulting Associates and he is writing a letter to the hotel and to the convention demanding that they stop violating the ADA. Now, the vice chairman knows about these letters, and he's THREATENED me that the entire NW fandom will turn away from me. He doesn't seem to understand that it's just like when Negros were put in the back of the bus in the 1960's, or had to go to "colored" bathrooms and public facilities.

So am I wrong? I didn't want to sue them (and I haven't done so yet), but they refuse to listen. They don't care that they will take one of EIGHT wheelchair accessible rooms over as programming space, leaving a disabled person to deal with a room where they can't get on or off the toilet. They have 304 rooms to choose from, but they insist on using one of the accessible rooms.

There's also the point that I physically can't work Registration when it's out in the Lobby where it's cold. Do you think they'd change that? No! They also have Hospitality in an accessible room which violates the ADA. I can't win.

posted by ">DanaWheels ~*~ 9/11/2000 10:02:54 PM ~*~ link

Sunday, September 10, 2000

Today, we had a meeting for an event that I am the head of registration for. Last year, registration was in the lobby of the hotel. We all froze, and the cigarette smoke really bothered us. Across the lobby, the hotel Espresso cart would turn off all the computers and the credit card machine at Registration every time they turned it on, because the hotel told us there were TWO circuits, but the hotel lied and put all that machinery on one circuit. Everyone agreed that the Lobby was not the place for Registration. Or so I thought.

Move forward to today, and the Chairman of the convention told me that Registration is going to be in the Lobby because Hospitality is in the place that Registration should be, AND they are taking up one of the wheelchair accessible rooms for it as well. Which is against the law. The hotel can not rent out or block out any wheelchair accessible rooms because they must be available for use by the disabled up to 24 hours before the event.

I've had it with this event. I told them I'd do the pre-event stuff, but I will not be cold (losing my ability to speak and ability to use my hands), throughout the entire weekend. They can find someone else to sit there and deal with all the problems. Last year, I was blamed by the head of programming for all HIS problems. I got shafted and the entire committee (excluding the Department heads) believed this person. Well, I'm tired of being used by this event and they can find someone else to kick around.

posted by ">DanaWheels ~*~ 9/10/2000 09:36:21 PM ~*~ link

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