[Mtgvenue] Accessibility: (was Re: comments on draft-ietf-mtgvenue-iaoc-venue-selection-process-04)

[Dave Crocker <[e-mail]>]

On 1/30/2017 4:40 AM, Stephen Farrell wrote:
>>> - 3.2: I don't get the distinction with "wheelchair" being
>>> mandatory and "accessible to people with disabilities"
>>> being only important. That seems like a contradiction to
>>> me. (Same in 3.4) Can you explain?
>> Funnily enough I wondered about the distinction as well, even what it
>> meant.  And so I went and asked a well known accessibility expert
>> (Andrea Saks) about this.  She pointed out that this would have to do
>> with whether elevators have braille, whether there are bedrooms are set
>> up for deaf people (doorbell lights, and such).  I'm going to hazard a
>> guess that many venues outside the US are in some way partial compliance
>> with what we Americans would call the ADA.  I'm guessing that's what
>> this is about.  A good # of UN buildings (including the ITU) have some
>> limitations along these lines, for instance.
> You may be right, but given it's confusing to both of us, that
> suggests a re-write is needed I think, but I also think that all
> criteria related to disability logically need to be at the same
> level, whether that's mandatory or important.


Is it acceptable to have a venue that requires everyone to climb a lot 
of stairs?  The answer needs to be no.

Is it acceptable to have a venue that does not have braille for its 
elevator buttons?  While it is appealing to say no, it almost certainly 
isn't practical.  Given international variability, it is likely to 
exclude even more places.

Repeat this for the very large range of very detailed, technical 
requirements that occur in any serious accessibility standard, and we 
will rapidly eliminate all but a very tiny set of venues.

'Wheelchair access' benefits far more than folk in wheelchair.  It aids 
everyone with mobility issues.  There is a universality to this benefit 
that is not matched by the many other details concerning accessibility.

That's why there two different entries in the draft, with different 
requirements levels.

d/

-- 

   Dave Crocker
   Brandenburg InternetWorking
   bbiw.net