1 link: Barriers at Long Island NY Dr Who convention

[jesse_the_k]

That Crazy Crippled Chick spazgirl11 encountered frustration upon frustration at the Long Island Dr Who con held 8-10 November 2013. Wheelchair access promised but not delivered on the shuttle, leaving a paid-up member in the street; narrow corridors; heavy doors preventing travel; jam-packed panel rooms; and total indifference from con staff.

She wrote an outstanding complaint letter, posted in full here:

http://thatcrazycrippledchick.blogspot.com/2013/11/an-open-letter-to-staff-of-long-island.html

quoting from the rousing finish:

begin quote The Doctor says that he’s never met anyone who wasn’t important. But your convention and apathy towards accessibility made me feel like my fellow disabled Whovians and I were not important enough to be worth considering. I am saddened and disgusted that a convention representing such a diverse fandom failed to include people with disabilities. quote ends

I loved this letter because it was specific, forceful, yet not furious. From personal experience, I know how being furious makes me incoherent. When I can turn off the snark and fire, I can organize my complaint as thoroughly and clearly as spazgirl11 has. Non-disabled people generally need all the detail we can stand to give to make their cons accessible.

(I'm trying not to make the "tone argument", but may have failed.)

2 links: Welcome to Night Vale

[sasha_feather]

sqbr: Why I don't want to live in Night Vale

As the most recent episode (34 - A Beautiful Dream) made explicitely clear, this is a town where ableism is rampant for exactly the same reasons it is in the real world (albeit with a surreal Night Vale spin), where disabled children are held up as tragic, pitiable figures doomed to misery as their calls for accessibility are either ignored or have to be destroyed for the greater good.

Tumblr: Welcome to Disabled Vale

A repository for Welcome To Night Vale headcanons and fanwork featuring disabled characters.

Unfortunately, many of the images at this Tumblr lack image descriptions.