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@trickstersgambit

Day zero is a day for preregistration pickup only. This means that we are not set up to accept any payments for memberships from anyone. This is likely the reason they would have been turned away. There are issues surrounding changing that but I will bring this concern to our head's attention. The other reason they may have been turned away would have been if they arrived outside of the posted hours.

During day 1-4 those who are disabled may utilize the special registration booth if they so choose. And it will be necessary for them to head there if they have specialized circumstances.

Thanks. No one was told about that so they'll know for next year. My main concern is making sure there's some identifier for disabled attendees and staff so we're not stuck in long lines, or if we DO get to get help into panels or halls or what have you, people don't get as salty about us passing in.
[Thank you for the reply on the other thread, too. I really do appreciate that information.]

Registration:

• Disabled attendees who are registering at con are supposedly supposed to be able to register at con on day zero. Unfortunately my disabled, missing a piece of muscle in his leg unable to do registration lines friend, was NOT allowed, and turned away day zero, then had to march through the line, and the day one large crowd, just to be able to get his badge.
• Names for badges are a problem. People have been have been harrassed on facebook after con by way of people matching your badge to facebook accounts. Furthermore there have been issues with trans members of con not knowing or being able to put their preferred name and facing issues that way. General local consensus is that it would benefit the attendees and con in general to have legal names placed on the back of badges where they won't be displayed to the public.
• Disabled registration??? Please??? see below

Hi.

At con reg- I answered this in the hotels and facilities post you made. I am curious about where this miscommunication occurred, would you happen to remember who told you it was possible to buy a badge at con on day zero? Or where you found that information?

Harassment-  One ways of ensuring your legal name is not a major focus is having a fan name. Not every attendee utilized this, but with a fan name your legal name is very small on the badge. This is still a concern and I will bring it to my head's attention. However there may be several issues regarding this.

Trans- We are a trans friendly convention! What this means is that a trans member may come to the special registration booth and we will have the legal name match their preferred name. Though we do require having the legal name on file. If they intend to preregister they may email us for directions. And while the registration faq online did reflect this we may reword it for clarity.

Thank you for your feedback

We don't know if the person who told the individual this was an attendee or staff. All we know is they were down near the registration lines while my roommate was trying to figure out if he could get his badge.

I think part of the problem arises when the words 'fan name' are used. One friend didn't input it so their fan name just came up as their legal first name and they spent most of con with their badge tucked into a pocket only pulling it out when they needed it because it was causing quite a bit of problems for them.

I'll pass that along though. We weren't aware that was a way you could do it, so for next year everyone will be made aware and no one will have to deal with that again, hopefully.

Registration:

• Disabled attendees who are registering at con are supposedly supposed to be able to register at con on day zero. Unfortunately my disabled, missing a piece of muscle in his leg unable to do registration lines friend, was NOT allowed, and turned away day zero, then had to march through the line, and the day one large crowd, just to be able to get his badge.
• Names for badges are a problem. People have been have been harrassed on facebook after con by way of people matching your badge to facebook accounts. Furthermore there have been issues with trans members of con not knowing or being able to put their preferred name and facing issues that way. General local consensus is that it would benefit the attendees and con in general to have legal names placed on the back of badges where they won't be displayed to the public.
• Disabled registration??? Please??? see below

Accessibility:

• Inability to access shuttles. The shuttle that was OK for disabled access didn't come around often enough to be used by disabled people wanting to get to the Fairmont or Double Tree portions of con. We request that this particular shuttle come around more often than a couple of times a day.
• All the panels were too far away from the con proper for disabled people to be able to get there and be in line in time to attend the panel. It was unsafe, and took too long, for disabled con goers to be able to attend the panels they wanted to go to.
• Artist alley/Dealers/Swap meet need to be accessible to people in chairs, or on canes. The lines were too long, there was too much crowding at table fronts, and people would cut in front of individuals in chairs to make it impossible for those in chairs to even SEE the content until monday, when things were starting to slow down. The only way my best friend could be able to go to dealers was when I brought him in on the staff hour monday, because it was either leave him at the door with no assistance, or bring him in with me.
• An attendee told an individual in a chair that he should not be at the dance because he was a hazard. Excuse me, attendees do not have authority to police disabled people. (clarification: The individual was informed that he should not be able to be where people are moving around so much, implying the entire con, not just the dance)
• The alcove outside in front of registration is a terrible location for meetups for people with physical disabilities. The request is that this not be used as a meetup location again, except for smaller meetups (perhaps 40).
• General inability to navigate con, or access any of the attached hotel's elevators in a timely manner is a big problem.
• Every year we have back and forth lines in front of a set of tables up against the railing with the glass under it. The lines are always clogged with people stopping to pick things up from the tables. On top of that there were a couple of instances of people hiding under the tables and popping out from under the tables to frighten people. I really don't think the tables should continue to be there in the coming year. They pose a number of hazards for everyone who attends, especially people with anxiety, or mobility issues.
• A quiet place for the attendees who get overwhelmed, or sore, needs to be made available. A place away from children, or families, that isn't accessible to the general con.
• Individuals who NEED to take their medications IMMEDIATELY should not be asked to go to bathrooms or back to their rooms. Often times their rooms are far from the concourse and they won't be able to make it back for things like pain medication, or insulin injections, or epinephrine, or other emergency medications (like emergency rescue medication for seizure medications.) None of us are taking medication because it's fun and we enjoy it. We're doing it to keep ourselves functional.
• More areas for sitting. Ala has a 'bench contest'. They purchased slats and stands, and painted them, and hand them out to congoers, recycling them every year. Maybe we could do that? If not, generally more seating would be great.

Signage:

• People don't always seem to be aware of the code of conduct, even though it's posted in the books we hand out to the attendees every year. Suggest perhaps posting code of conduct on signs at the front entrance of SJCC, registration, in the fairmont, and at the entrances to the concourse from the outsides, and from both hotels, so no one has any reason to complain when they get stopped by rovers for violating code of conduct. Suggestion also including images on the signs. Coordinate with accessibility.
• Signs for areas where gathering and standing should be discouraged.
• Signs on the non smoking areas
• Large print signs regarding the fact that we are a dry con, please.
• Signs for cosplay hangout/cosplay repair are very necessary

General:

• Requesting manga hangout be moved to one of the halls to allow for the room to be used for panels again.
• Request artist alley and dance to trade places.
• More free water. it's too expensive and discourages hydration.

Mod edit: its called a dance

I was one of the Dippers with a casual Bill wearing a Dipper hat, another Dipper, and a Mabel in a wheel chair. We all had a lot of fun at the meet. My Bill was super shy but it was fun for all of us honestly.

I just wanted to get in contact with Gompers-Bill and talk to them privately about something. If anyone has their contact information? a tumblr account or facebook or something could I be PM'd about it?

Greg Ayers! He's a great voice actor, a sweet guy, and an awesome DJ

It's probably not viable or policeable but perhaps we can have one elevator in each hotel attached to the convention (hilton/Marriott/Fairmont) designated specifically for disabled people.

There was a request by some people in chairs and on canes and suffering clausterphobia:

• Disabled shopping hour for the dealer hall and artist alley at the beginning and end of each day both halls are open.
  Reason: The halls are both too crowded for people to get through with chairs and other disabilities. They get crowded away from stalls, ignored completely, walked in front of when they're plainly waiting to get to the table.
• A wheel chair/disabled section for exhibitions at the black and white ball.
  Reason: It was nearly impossible to be able to see the exhibition. Further a person in a wheel chair was asked by an attendee to leave the dance because 'the chair is a hazard'.
• Adaptive dance lessons for the black and white ball.
  Reason: Wheel chair bound attendees want to be able to dance too.
• Perhaps a secondary badge for disabled people to hang behind the first to allow for priority positions in the lines, help getting into and out of panels and elevators, featuring emergency contact information and a number to call in case of problems with other attendees (RE: Inability to get on elevators, being told to leave the dance, being crowded or treated rudely ect)
• Day zero at con badge pick up for disabled attendees.
  This should already be a thing but people who were disabled at con purchasers were turned away on day zero at reg. I'm not sure what was going on there but that's a problem that needs to be handled.
• Nursing staff or train rovers/staff to be able to handle emergencies. This helps emt's, it also helps attendees.
• Sensitivity training/How to help with a seizure/how to treat a person with a mobility device/how to help someone having a panic attack
• Clear information that mobility challenged or disabled individuals are to be given priority posted in the guidelines/con books
• Limit disabled staff's required/scheduled hours
• Move panels back to the convention center.
  Reason: Even with the shuttle the fairmont is too far away for most people in chairs or on canes. Further getting onto the shuttle when you're disabled is next to impossible. They get crowded out and the wheel chair accessible shuttle doesn't come around near enough for the other parts of the convention to be accessible.

I've been attending fanime for years, and working as staff. I attend with a group of disabled individuals. This year was the hardest for us yet. I had a seizure at con. My roommate had panic attacks, and wasn't able to get to tables, and was treated poorly by other attendees, and the line to get into dealer's hall was ridiculously long. Too long for my disabled friend who was on a cane.

SJCC is big enough to host all the panels. There are plenty of rooms in the convention center and hotels that we COULD use, but aren't. I don't see why we don't use them.

[There was also a request that we perhaps trade the dance and artist alley, or move artist alley back to the tent in order to allow for a less clausterphobic environment. I'll be encouraging the requester to mention it in the feedback form when it comes out, and possibly repeating it at the staff picnic but that's where I stand as of this moment.]

Mod edit: its called a dance

super excited to be doing this, this year.

I was thinking about it

I'll be posting this on both the DC and Marvel threads but is there a possibility of getting these meetups at least an hour apart for those who have cosplay for both to be able to change from the first to the other?  part of the scheduling issue from years past is that people had cosplay for both and wanted to take part in both fandom meets.

I'll be posting this on both the DC and Marvel threads but is there a possibility of getting these meetups at least an hour apart for those who have cosplay for both to be able to change from the first to the other?  part of the scheduling issue from years past is that people had cosplay for both and wanted to take part in both fandom meets.