6 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
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attendees. “Some of the aisles are so narrow, one or two
people stopping to look at something clogs them up,” he
complained. “Even if you yell, ‘wheelchair,’ no one moves.
NYCC’s Code of Conduct reminds people to take showers and
to use deodorant. But it doesn’t remind them to be aware of
others around you—especially people with disabilities.”
Erin Jackson has accompanied her disabled mother to
BookCon since it launched in 2014 and echoed the senti-
ments of many who spoke with PW about that show. Accom-
modations this year were “the worst,” she said, noting that
in previous years, people with medical passes were allowed
to enter the exhibit hall first, followed by VIPs. This year, VIPs
entered first, followed by people with medical passes, and
then everybody else.
“And people were allowed to run to the booths,” Jackson
added. She and her mother were caught up in a Sunday morn-
ing scrum around a HarperCollins Children’s Publishing tote
bag giveaway. “People started pushing forward and reaching
over our shoulders and around us to grab the bags,” she said,
“It was scary.”
Another attendee, Jenn Von Jollycheeks, reported that she
witnessed “a young woman with a cane nearly get pushed to
the ground and trampled” during an ARC drop. “There needs
to be proactive measures taken to protect medical pass hold-
ers with mobility issues, whether it be allowing lines to form
earlier and capping them so that a mob doesn’t form,” she
said. “Or maybe the specific ARC drop shouldn’t be
announced, which could potentially keep the crazy-rude and
pushy attendees from coming full force.”
Christine Butler Grazia, whose MS affects her mobility, also
said her experience at BookCon this year was “horrible.” Not
only did vendors refuse to accommodate her, she said, but
BookCon staff did as well. “For my first signing, I was told by a
BookCon employee that their supervisor told them not to honor
medical passes,” she recalled. “For my second signing, I was
told there was nothing they could do for me, that I had to wait
in line like everyone else, and that I could drag a chair through
the line myself. My balance was so bad, I kept falling into my
friend. For my last signing of the day, I had the same issues.”
After complaining to ReedPop, Grazia received a phone
call from event manager Jenny Martin, who apologized for
the violations of show policies and promised that staff would
be better trained to honor medical passes in future—an assur-
ance that Martin reiterated to PW.
As for the nearly 50-year-old San Diego Comic-Con, feed-
back regarding accommodations ran the gamut. A number
of attendees complained about having to wait outside in “ADA
lines” to obtain wristbands for entry into various events andareas. Others reported such issues as a lack of seating in
exhibit halls and long waits for the few elevators in the con-
vention center.
Others, however, praised SDCC’s accommodations. “Awe-
some people work the ADA services,” reported Tara Oakes,
who has been to 10 Comic-Cons. She cited the presence of
ASL interpreters at all of the larger panels, noting that they
could also be requested for smaller panels, as well as the avail-
ability and affordability of rental scooters and wheelchairs.
Another attendee was even more effusive. Chronic pain
and mobility issues caused Jeanie Herger to apply for a med-
ical pass at SDCC in 2018. “SDCC accommodated me,” she
said, with a wheelchair and storage for her items. “All the
booths were very kind in helping me and my handler through.
They let me wait in a waiting area at exhibits that had long
lines so I didn’t have to stand, then let me in. SDCC staff let
me go to the front for panels as well. They are very, very accom-
modating. Just bring your paperwork to show them at the
accessibility help desk.”ALA Conferences
When it comes to accommodation, however, the ALA might
be the gold standard. PW did not receive a single com-
plaint about the ALA’s accommodations at its conferences.
According to conference services director Paul Graller,
the organization “really stepped up” the accommodation it
provides “for any ALA function” in 2013 after receiving “com-
ments.” Not only does the ALA have an accessibility task
force but for the past six years, the Chicago Hearing Society’s
executive director has contracted with it to manage confer-
ence accommodations and maintain an accessibility hotline
and dedicated email account year-round.
For years at ALA conferences, there have been plenty of
seating in the exhibit areas and post offices in the middle.
ASL interpreters and escorts for the blind have been on hand,
and major presentations have had both interpreters and
closed captioning. Sixty motorized wheelchairs have been
made available at each event, and accessible shuttle buses
have been provided. There have been wheelchair areas in
every meeting room and ballroom, and there has been sig-
nage informing attendees of this. Exhibitors have even been
educated beforehand about making their booths accessible.
“With the aging population of the ALA, more people need
accommodation, and that’s just going to increase as our num-
bers increase,” Graller said. “With registration up 8% this
past June and an anticipated increase of 8%–10% in Janu-
ary, if even 1% of our audience needs accommodation, we
just want to stay ahead of the game.” —Claire Kirch