(no subject)
Mon, Mar. 11th, 2013 09:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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access_fandomHey folks!
You may remember my post a while back on my efforts to promote accessibility at our local anime convention, AnimeIowa. Well, we're back in convention planning mode now, and while I'm planning to repeat the stuff that worked and implement as many other things as I can possibly think of, I could use a bit of advice from people who may have a bit more experience in this area.
First of all, I'm getting sanitizer squirt bottles set up at every water station (we have what amount to water coolers set up at different spots in the main hallways; they don't always get refilled regularly, but it's way cool that we have them and aren't stuck relying on the few and far-between water fountains/bubblers). Does anyone have a working ratio for ounces/liters of sanitizer to number of attendees? We're expecting somewhere upwards of three thousand people, and I'd like to avoid running out if possible.
Next, we're one of the few conventions left that still runs a consuite. For those unfamiliar, consuites are basically a room or set of rooms hosted by the convention where attendees can go and get their snack on. Sometimes there's more "real" food - our consuite team is aiming to get as much fresh fruit and veg as they can on their budget, but that stuff tends to be expensive and goes fast - but mostly it's junk and snack-type stuff: chips, candy, that sort of thing. I've been in contact with the consuite team about what to label. I figure that eggs, dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts are the bare minimum for our expected fare, but I've also asked about getting the full ingredients lists for as many of our foodstuffs as possible (we're still working out the logistics of that). I'll also be asking the team to offer and label some gluten-free options, though I doubt we need to worry about that for much of our fare. Oh, and I'm talking to them about getting sanitation stations set up in the consuite as well. Basically, is there anything in particular I'm forgetting or overlooking for food-related concerns? And should I ask about offering alternative diet options (Vegan, possibly religious diets, though I don't think that's too much a concern for our snack food options outside of stuff with dairy and/or eggs? Please correct me if I'm wrong), and if so, what and possibly how?
I think that's it. If you're interested in a progress report on any of the other things I mentioned in my previous post but haven't addressed here, I'd be happy to share details in the comments. I'm also open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!
Edit: Thank you so much everyone for all of your input! I'll do my best to get it organized and sent off to the consuite staff ASAP. Hopefully they will implement as many as possible; we still have a good four months before the convention, which will give us some time to organize this. I'll be pulling for all of the most safe and accessible options, and passing on the more widely applicable ideas as best I can (scentless sanitizer, sign height, no PDFs/alternate options, etc).
I'm up for input and suggestions as long as y'all are willing to share them, so if you think there's something missing here or if you forgot something, or even if you just want to second someone else, please feel welcome to do so. I want our convention to be the best it can be, and if attendees aren't able to experience everything they want to or are harmed by our current practices, then we definitely don't qualify.
Thank you again, and I'll be replying to individual comments shortly.
You may remember my post a while back on my efforts to promote accessibility at our local anime convention, AnimeIowa. Well, we're back in convention planning mode now, and while I'm planning to repeat the stuff that worked and implement as many other things as I can possibly think of, I could use a bit of advice from people who may have a bit more experience in this area.
First of all, I'm getting sanitizer squirt bottles set up at every water station (we have what amount to water coolers set up at different spots in the main hallways; they don't always get refilled regularly, but it's way cool that we have them and aren't stuck relying on the few and far-between water fountains/bubblers). Does anyone have a working ratio for ounces/liters of sanitizer to number of attendees? We're expecting somewhere upwards of three thousand people, and I'd like to avoid running out if possible.
Next, we're one of the few conventions left that still runs a consuite. For those unfamiliar, consuites are basically a room or set of rooms hosted by the convention where attendees can go and get their snack on. Sometimes there's more "real" food - our consuite team is aiming to get as much fresh fruit and veg as they can on their budget, but that stuff tends to be expensive and goes fast - but mostly it's junk and snack-type stuff: chips, candy, that sort of thing. I've been in contact with the consuite team about what to label. I figure that eggs, dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts are the bare minimum for our expected fare, but I've also asked about getting the full ingredients lists for as many of our foodstuffs as possible (we're still working out the logistics of that). I'll also be asking the team to offer and label some gluten-free options, though I doubt we need to worry about that for much of our fare. Oh, and I'm talking to them about getting sanitation stations set up in the consuite as well. Basically, is there anything in particular I'm forgetting or overlooking for food-related concerns? And should I ask about offering alternative diet options (Vegan, possibly religious diets, though I don't think that's too much a concern for our snack food options outside of stuff with dairy and/or eggs? Please correct me if I'm wrong), and if so, what and possibly how?
I think that's it. If you're interested in a progress report on any of the other things I mentioned in my previous post but haven't addressed here, I'd be happy to share details in the comments. I'm also open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!
Edit: Thank you so much everyone for all of your input! I'll do my best to get it organized and sent off to the consuite staff ASAP. Hopefully they will implement as many as possible; we still have a good four months before the convention, which will give us some time to organize this. I'll be pulling for all of the most safe and accessible options, and passing on the more widely applicable ideas as best I can (scentless sanitizer, sign height, no PDFs/alternate options, etc).
I'm up for input and suggestions as long as y'all are willing to share them, so if you think there's something missing here or if you forgot something, or even if you just want to second someone else, please feel welcome to do so. I want our convention to be the best it can be, and if attendees aren't able to experience everything they want to or are harmed by our current practices, then we definitely don't qualify.
Thank you again, and I'll be replying to individual comments shortly.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-12 11:57 am (UTC)Re: sanitation. Pleeeez get the unscented version when you order that case. Otherwise every hand-washing station becomes an asthma-attack trigger for those of us with breathing impairments.
Some of the more noxious pathogens -- I'm looking at you, norovirus -- are not destroyed by alcohol gels. Stress hand washing in the bathrooms. I am all for snarky signs: "Con crud is the gift which makes your fellow members hate you. If you haven't washed your hands you can be a vector." I'm sure there are anime-relevant heroes and villains to reference.
Re: con suite signage. I appreciate a "pantry list" in program book or large print on walls OUTSIDE the consuite and on main floor if the consuite is elsewhere. That way I can see what's available without piloting my wheelchair through the hungry mobs (and without craning up to see on tables which are probably out of reach). Visibility for wheelchair users loses to "out of reach of toddlers." More of them.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-12 12:45 pm (UTC)And as someone who will get sick from the smell of pizza, I beg of you not to buy pizza as a quick option
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-12 07:14 pm (UTC)...Shoot, this could be difficult. We've actually just added a position to run meals to staffers who can't escape their positions during the day (mostly in registration and the dealer's hall, to the best of my knowledge). I can almost certainly make sure the deliveries are covered up/otherwise enclosed, and I'll do my best to keep pizza off the list, but we've done things like walking tacos in the past. It'll clearly be a delicate balance between keeping our staffers fed and keeping the attendees safe from the food.
I can almost certainly promise no pizza in the consuite, at least. We've stopped providing meal-type food there, so as long as no attendees bring any in (touch wood), we should be relatively safe there.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-12 07:07 pm (UTC)Ah, norovirus; you and hepatitis are the reason "fecal-oral route" is now a part of my mental vocabulary. There's actually an anime and manga - Moyashimon(sp?) - that's all about a person who can see microbes without a microscope. It's got some great pics we could definitely use, though whether we can will probably depend on copyright issues.
I'll definitely talk to our publishing team about making sure signs are visible at lower levels. I'll see what I can do about the pantry list; more and more it seems that a very limited number of food options is a good idea - or at least more viable than a large variety.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-14 03:37 am (UTC)Re: you. GO TEAM! You're getting a lot of wonderful things done! On the off chance you need something more to do, feel free to share your experiences in the wiki (link under the comm name)
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-14 04:09 am (UTC)Re: Me. Thanks! I'm quite proud of myself for all the work I'm putting in here.
Re: Needing more to do. Hahaha! Ha ha. Ha. (Sob.) Let me get a dozen assistants or so, then I'll think about it. I do plan to post my organized list of consuite food stuff to my journal and share a link here, though?
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-14 05:40 am (UTC)I'm no SMOF, but I've already seen how quickly our great ideas disappear in the mists of history. Document!
Soap tip (or is that soap drip?): We use Dr Bronner's unscented. Hotel products are dispensed as-is; Dr B's is so thick that it gums up the pumps. Dr B can be diluted 1 soap:3 water and still work well, but 1:1 works better in the pump dispensers.