The Access Review: What Access Needs To Be

Daisy Brookes/Ekko Cosplay

Not long after I decided to start reviewing conventions and events on their access policies I realised that a really handy thing to do would be to write a piece on what I feel access and extra help should be like at all events. I’m not saying I know everything about how these things should be run but with my own experience and things I’ve heard and discussed with others, I feel it’s time we come together and say what it is exactly that we need from events to feel safe and enjoy ourselves.

There are simple things I feel cons could quite easily put in place as well other bigger issues that need to be handled by the teams when it comes to organising these events. Access should be a part of planning an event from the beginning, procedures should be put in place from day 1 to ensure that disabled guests can attend these events.

For starters, one that comes up at nearly every single event I’ve ever been to, is that security and the teams working need to be trained and educated on how to talk to people with disabilities, invisible illnesses and mental health conditions. I have had enough of being dismissed and demeaned by security guards who claim I need to “prove” how sick I am to gain access to an event. Volunteers need to be trained in how best to help and aid people when they ask simple questions regarding access. It’s mad but I feel a lot of people just need a simple reminder that we’re humans who deserve empathy and understanding, if we’re asking for help that’s all we want, help.

Leading on from that, getting in and out of events. I wish all events would signpost where the access entry is, and for the love of Christ it better be near the car park or disabled bays. If your access entry is a walk all around the building away from the drop off or parking, you’re doing it wrong. It defeats the purpose of an accessible entry if you make your disabled guests travel that far, and this is a huge pain to your ambulatory guests who perhaps aren’t in wheelchairs but do use crutches or have low energy levels. It hurts me to walk that far and it makes the whole event more tiring for me if I have to start it with a half mile walk and queue.

Tim Boxall in his self customised wheelchair

And as if getting in to a con isn’t hard enough, don’t even get me started on leaving the damn place. If all your exits are guarded by security or volunteers and someone with an extra help or access pass is asking to leave from that exit, please believe them when they say the other exits are too far away. If it’s an exit that’s just being closed to help ease off traffic at an event then please consider keeping these exits open for access only. I’m not saying let everyone out the side door, but if that side door happens to cut out a huge amount of travelling for a disabled guest, then letting them out that way makes the world of difference.

I know it’s a lot to set up an event, stalls and signs have to be put up everywhere. But more signs made specifically for your disabled visitors is a huge thing. Signs for lifts, ramps and disabled toilets spread out across a con floor would help a lot. I can’t even explain how many times I’ve had to wander aimlessly looking for a disabled toilet so I can sort out my stoma, or how many people I’ve had to ask for directions to the nearest lift. What would really make signs the best they can be would be to add a relative distance to how far away these things are. The nearest toilets are 400 metres, the elevators are 800 metres and so on. 9/10 times this just ends with me having to do a load more walking I really wasn’t up for and it fuels the knock on effect that makes cons so difficult to be at.

Now on to what Access bands and Extra Help passes should actually do to help. I’m not saying events don’t do these things but I think if events explicitly stated what these passes would grant you access to from the get go, that would really help. Especially as so many events don’t even provide this information clearly, which means when you get to an event you have no proof and this can mean rules and regulations are just made up on the spot, making life way harder than it needs to be.

For starters, I feel it’s pretty generally agreed that if you have an access pass that you’ve gotten because of long term physical disability, you should be able to skip some queues. I’m not saying this because I want to be able to jump the long queue outside on a whim, I’m saying it because standing for long periods of time is excruciatingly painful and incredibly tiring, I’m talking knock me out of whack for the whole day kind of thing.

I get that a lot of people see this as a cheat but I don’t really know how to explain how painful and tiring queuing actually is and I feel like it’s something people just need to learn to accept.

Volume Two cover star Pegsicle Cosplay in her wheelchair at LFCC

Another thing is seating, be that in talks or quiet areas. It’s like the “please offer me a seat” campaign, there should be some kind of reserved or set aside seating that is just held for people who can’t stand or need a seat. If a panel starts and those seats are still free they could be filled after but especially when things require a long queue and wait or even fight to get seats, it can be really off putting to even try for them if you think it’s just not going to happen and it’ll cause pain. I can’t even say how many panels I wanted to see I’ve passed on because I knew I’d be left standing for hours before or standing during.

Virtual queues are fantastic for this. Be it for panels, photos or autos, being able to get a little ticket and sit and wait means not having to wait cramped and in pain. And if there’s no VT system then a few chairs in certain heavy queue areas wouldn’t go amiss. Being able to go up to a volunteer, to show your wristband and them to either show you to a seating area or provide a seat is one of those things that really helps.

I feel like if it could start to be universally agreed that if someone has these bands, they actually need the help. I’ve seen far too much questioning and accusing recently that people are just trying to cheat the system or get freebies. Even if a minority do act like this, I’ve said it before that this doesn’t mean you should belittle or mistreat everyone. There are so many of us who genuinely need help and being denied it because of the few makes these events impossible.

All these things are well and good but so much of what access help needs to be relies on the understanding and help of those working and planning these things. The acts of one helpful person working a con can make the whole thing manageable and these events need more of that, What would really make a difference to so many events would be to have someone on their planning team who is able to properly consult and provide this kind of feedback and information. Cons don’t ask their disabled guests enough of what needs to happen, but if someone who is familiar with the issues and knows what it’s like to face these roadblocks was included in the organising side of things, maybe events would be more accessible from the get go.

Have any thoughts on what else access passes should supply? Or what events should do to help attending easier? I want to hear what people have to say and what you think needs to be changed so please let me know over on Twitter (@mynameisaflower) or Instagram (@ekkocosplay)!