A sign greeted attendees at the entrance to the 2019 Conference on College Composition and Communication (or CCCC): The CCCC Convention is Accessible! Turns out, folks had very different experiences than this sign presumed. Anonymous CCCC members used post-it notes to decorate the large, standing sign with specific access issues they’ve encountered. My interpretation of this collective direct action is this: the folks are not only encouraging #4C19 to do better, but they are also resisting the erasure of the very real struggles folks face in engaging with academic culture. Access is complex, ongoing. The official #4C19 signage declaring this is an accessible conference erases the very real access issues many people face in attending conferences–and prevent many from attending at all.
These post-its also reflect a very real concern: if #4c19 is applauding itself for achieving accessibility, will it stop trying to expand accessibility? Is this the end road for Cs? We still have so much more to do–and we need our professional orgs recognize that.
Here is a picture of the sign with the post-it notes. I have transcribed the post-it notes below.
Here are the issues documented on the post-it notes:
- Panels are not providing access copies.
- I was not contacted about access despite marking that I need access needs on the registration form.
- Quiet room too far away. Required a very long walk.
- Not enough registration check-in slots on Wednesday morning. Not everyone can stand for 30-60 minutes including those who “look” mobile
- RNF said an accommodation would spoil the experience of other attendees
- There must be microphones for questions!
- Captioning and interpreting are not costs, they are necessities.
- Everyone should start with an access check
- Access Check 101: how’s the lighting? We could turn some lights on/off. How’s the sound? (Not can you hear me). Any other changes before we start?
- Cobblestone sidewalks hard to navigate for those w/ mobility issues
- I attended several presentations (even some by friends and colleagues) where no accessibility (large print hand outs, slides read outloud, etc) was offered.
- The theatre style rooms were totally inaccessible
- I requested to be contacted about accessibility when I registered but was never contacted!
- Opening session slides weren’t designed for integration w/ CART and interpreting
- Captioners need printed remarks ahead of time to ensure accuracy—the opening session made clear this was not done.
- You need to talk to those affected by a lack of access.
- App is cumbersome and frequently crashes.
- APP not available until a week before convention. No searchable or hard copy program available beforehand.
- Microphones are not mobile—the audience can’t easily ask questions w/ it
- If the program isn’t available ahead of time, how can we make access requests?
- When people talk so fast, the interpreter/captioner can’t do their job
- Seating was lacking. Seating was crowded. Seating was painful.
- CART at opening session was inaccessible.
- The conference is not accessible for disabled folks and non-Western members. Our names are not jokes. Disability is not a joke.
- CART at the opening session was inaccessible.
- CART taken off stage for opening session.
- CART & Interpreting for opening session should be int.
- “I don’t need to speak into the mac—you can hear me, right?”
- Offsite events did not provide access information
- Access committee was not consulted about scooter check-out
- Content warnings in program and app were absent when needed
- When I registered, I asked for someone from NCTE to contact me about access. No one contacted me.
- Speakers need to slow down! Captioner can’t keep up.
- Rooms were WAY too far apart!
- Food not always accessible
- Who on the CDI or the Disability Studies SIG was consulted in this celebration of our “accessibility”?
- People are not providing image descriptions on their presentation slides.
- In late afternoon, no food available on-site at the convention center
- I wasn’t contacted after indicating accommodation need
- Not enough seating at opening session
- I had to stand to use the mic
- Regional CCCC are given no guidance or expectations re: accessibility
- CDICC kept out of the loop
