Wheelchair / Handicap access at DC?

[wembley]

Question-

I have a friend of mine who might be attending DC 12, if there is one. Only problem is, he uses a wheelchair to get around. Would that be a problem at the con? Problems for him would be stairs, and close quarters in vendor areas. Is there any disabled folks attending this year or have attended in the past that could shed some light on the subject?

-Wembley

[skroo]

Re: Wheelchair / Handicap access at DC?

Originally posted by wembley
Is there any disabled folks attending this year or have attended in the past that could shed some light on the subject?

OK. I am not disabled, so am almost certainly not the best person to answer this question fully. However, based on my knowledge of the layout of the Alexis Park as well as observing disabled attendees what I can tell you is this:

The entire con area is located on the ground floor, which is completely wheelchair-accessible. Within the vendor area there is good room to manoeuvre a wheelchair, but people milling around will obviously cut down on this: the same goes for common areas such as the lobby, bar, and around the pools. Rooms are accessible, but only if you request one on the ground floor as there is no elevator access to the upper level.

If there are any specific requirements, it'd be a good idea to discuss them with the hotel in advance so that things can be worked out well before con (and the same goes for booking a room). The Alexis Park are generally pretty good about accomodating any special needs. Hope this helps.

[octalpus]

Also just from experience of observing disabled individuals in past years, people tend to be pretty civil about giving needed room, especially around hazardous crowded areas, like near the pools. One guy's friends even carried him up to an upper level of a building so he could hit some parties. The biggest obstacle would definitely be ensuring you have a ground level room if you're staying at the AP.

[astcell]

Last year I made friends with a guy in a wheelchair. We had a GREAT time hanging out. When we went to hacker jeopardy there was a large empty spot about 1/4th from the front. He parked his chair there, I sat beside him. We had a wonderfiul time. He also went to the Black and White ball in a Kung Fu outfit. He is hilarious!

Some of the footage of Defcon shows a winning team, which includeda guy in a wheelchair, lifing the guy i the chair up and carrying him to the stage to accept the award!

Truly I must say that I have never even seen better treatment of anyone who possesses a disability. I guess hackers see themselves as out of the norm, so they understand what it is not to be perfect. I am consistently amazed at the honorable treatment received by folks with disabilities at the AP.

Not only would I say that your friend would be welcomed, but I say that the Defcon attendees, as weird as we all are, show an amazing compassion for the human race. I am very proud to be amongst them.