Last week I posted a diary about the potential we have to increase accessibility for attendees at NN13, based on criticisms, suggestions and objectives that have arisen out of previous NNs. We had a pretty good discussion, although I know there are more ideas out there to be shared. Personally, I was otherwise occupied, given important family obligations.
Today I have two reasons to post again. Before I describe them, however, I am also going to claim fatigue and distraction for the lack of links in this current diary. They abound in the previous one, however, so please do avail yourself of the one I give to that diary in the very first line of this post.
First, I want to remind everyone of the rapidly upcoming workshop/panel deadline (Fri. 2/8) for NN13. I honestly don’t know if anyone is already planning to submit any related proposals, and for that matter I do not need to know. But, if people would like to find each other for such a task, and don’t already have the contacts in mind to do so, I am delighted to have this diary serve as a forum for that purpose. So please network away!
Second, last week’s diary revisited many issues (and raised a few others) that do need follow-up. I’d propose this as a rough way to categorize them:
1) guidelines & goals for access to be met by the organizers, including but definitely not limited to having a KosAbility caucus time & place to be posted in the schedule;
2) resources for access to be disseminated among (prospective) NN-goers, including but definitely not limited to courtesy tips and details about off-site accessibility and transportation;
3) formulation of a Disability Coordinator's volunteer job description; and
4) filling out the ideas necessary to create a volunteer corps for support of NN attendees.
Discussing these topics in a diary or via Kosmail is simply awkward, at best. I’d like to invite anyone interested in developing these topics in depth to contact me WITH a non-DKos email you’re willing to use. My goal for such a conversation would be to write a position statement (or four) that we could then circulate among KosAbility editors at least, if not the site at large, so that with the feedback we got from the "whole" group we would have a proposal to present to the NN organizers.
I don’t think we need to be on quite as tight a timeline as the workshop proposals, but I think we should aim for late February at the outside, perhaps the 22nd or so if at all possible. I’m also not trying to be opaque, in the sense of being non-transparent; it’s just damn inconvenient to try to accomplish much via Kosmail—or, for that matter, in a diary. It’s not an appropriate format for this kind of tweaking.
So there you have it: two invitations, one to network about potential workshops or panels or speakers, etc., and one to take part in formulating more specific and detailed proposals regarding improved accessibility.
Thanks, everyone, in advance.