{"id":8134,"date":"2022-08-26T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=8134"},"modified":"2024-01-15T13:06:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T18:06:06","slug":"making-pen-shows-accessible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/making-pen-shows-accessible\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Pen Shows Accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p>When I shared my <a href=\"\/blog\/2022-dc-pen-show-2\/\">2022 DC Pen Show Part 2 post<\/a>, I received some comments about accessibility that made me start thinking. The <a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/pen-show\/\">pen shows<\/a> I&#8217;ve been to range from just passable for physical disability accessibility to barely accessible for non-disabled persons. As such, I&#8217;m dedicating a post to some thoughts on pen show accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please be aware, I&#8217;m by not even close to an expert here. I&#8217;m 100% certain there are accessibility issues I don&#8217;t know about and accommodations I&#8217;ve never thought of. I would just like to help get a discussion going in the pen world. For the most part, the pen community is inclusive and welcoming, and it&#8217;s a shame our shows don&#8217;t reflect that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Aisle width<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s start with the most obvious. While the buyer aisles at shows may be sufficiently wide when the room is empty, they aren&#8217;t sufficient for the four rows of people once the show gets going:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Stopped on the left<\/li><li>Stopped on the right<\/li><li>Walking up the aisle<\/li><li>Walking down the aisle<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is even more of an issue if you have someone with a large bag. A stroller, wheelchair, walker, or any other mobility device is out of the question. A person with one of them simply would not be able to make it around a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vendor aisles aren&#8217;t great, either. One could argue that a vendor with a disability can have an end or wall table. But it is still uncomfortable, even for non-disabled people, to traverse those narrow inner aisles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible Solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The only solution to the space issue is to reduce the table-to-floor-space ratio. Whether that means finding a larger venue or having less vendors is up to the various show organizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Granted, the downside to this means less revenue. I have no idea what kind of profit margin there is with a pen show, so I don&#8217;t know if this is actually feasible, but it&#8217;s something to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sensory Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Shows also aren&#8217;t accessible for people with sensory issues. Prime shopping times can get particularly crowded, elevating noise levels and requiring people to squeeze past each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible Solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One possible solution is to have a well-publicized &#8220;quiet room.&#8221; I&#8217;m assuming that most venues will have a conference room that can be earmarked. Some kind of attendant may be necessary to ensure that the room is not misused \u2014 e.g. friends meeting, or parents with cranky children \u2014 to ensure a quiet space for people to decompress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I applause the <a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/bwips\/\">Baltimore Pen Show<\/a> for having a seating area this year. I hope that continues in future years. But, it&#8217;s the only show I&#8217;ve been to with such an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/dc-pen-show\/\">DC Pen Show<\/a> had two seats at many doors this year in the upstairs room, but that&#8217;s it. It was rare to find an open seat, especially during the busier times on Friday and Saturday. Even for non-disabled people, extra seating is helpful for when your feet get tired or your bag(s) of holding get(s) too heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible Solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If there was more space in the room, it wouldn&#8217;t be too hard to scatter extra chairs around. There has to be a way to introduce some (or additional) seating at shows that isn&#8217;t completely away from the show floor itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, at the DC show, perhaps there could be a small table or two in the exterior dead-end aisles. A refuge like that could also offer a semi-quiet area for people to decompress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, we get to items most of us would never think of. One of the comments I received mentioned <a href=\"https:\/\/4thstreetfantasy.com\/\">4th Street Fantasy<\/a> and their dedication to accessibility, so I looked them up. They do have an impressive <a href=\"https:\/\/4thstreetfantasy.com\/policies\/accessibility-policy\/\">accessibility policy<\/a>, and they point to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfwa.org\/other-resources\/public-relations\/accessibility-checklist-for-sfwa-spaces\/\">SFWA accessibility checklist<\/a>. After looking through both, I feel there are several things that should be implemented at pen shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reserved Seating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At seminars and events included with a ticket purchase, the front row could be reserved for people with auditory and\/or visual disabilities, and the aisle seats \u2014 or an empty row \u2014 could be reserved for people with mobility issues and\/or devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When registering for paid workshops, there could be a checkbox for accessibility accommodations to signal the workshop coordinator to reach out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visual Accommodations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I realize that for a \u2014 relatively \u2014 small event like a pen show, it may not be cost effective to have large print versions of everything available. However, anything that gets printed starts out digital, so it shouldn&#8217;t be an issue to make a download available of show material \u2014 schedules, seminar\/workshop locations, etc. This way, visitors can view the information larger on their phones or have the content read to them via screen reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Accessibility Hints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be useful for shows to provide information on venue accessibility. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There is an XXXX foot\/yard walk from the parking garage to the show entrance.<\/li><li>There is a drop-off point at the front door with an XX foot distance from the show entrance.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems as though many pen shows are at the same venue every year, so they&#8217;d only need to develop the page once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Accessibility Coordinator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Especially in an initial push to make a show more accessible, a coordinator who is an expert on accessibility would be valuable. That person could also serve as a point of contact for visitors to make suggestions or requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, there are many more accommodations that could be made, but these seem to me \u2014 a non-disabled person \u2014 some good ones to focus on. They are some easier accommodations to start with to help shift thinking to accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for reading to the end, I hope this post got you thinking. For those with experience with accessibility issues, what have I missed? Do you think these are good items to start with? Let me know in the comments! I&#8217;d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure to <a href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.us16.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=d9c28d9c11226013eb8c0544e&amp;id=fb56c60d55\">subscribe to my blog<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/randomly_._rachel\/\">follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don&#8217;t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After receiving some comments about accessibility on a 2022 DC Pen Show post, I&#8217;m dedicating this post to some thoughts on pen show accessibility.<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/making-pen-shows-accessible\/\">Keep Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Making Pen Shows Accessible<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[417],"tags":[81,196],"class_list":["post-8134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pen-shows","tag-pen-show","tag-pen-show-review","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/accessible_IGSm-e1661515947492.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-27c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11349,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/london-pen-show-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":0},"title":"2023 Autumn London Pen Show","author":"Rachel","date":"October 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Another new show for me, the London Pen Show! Find out what it's like. Per usual, I review layout, selection, price, and accessibility.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The show entrance","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231008_131248_copy_1080x504.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231008_131248_copy_1080x504.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231008_131248_copy_1080x504.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231008_131248_copy_1080x504.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231008_131248_copy_1080x504.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15727,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/sf-pen-show-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":1},"title":"2025 San Francisco Pen Show Rating","author":"Rachel","date":"September 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I went to the SF Pen Show for the first time this year, which means it's time for a pen show review. Check out my (likely controversial) thoughts on this year's SF Pen Show.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SF Pen Show map annotated with vendor names next to the tables","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SFPenShowMapAnnotated-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8459,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/scriptus-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":2},"title":"2022 Scriptus Pen and Writing Show","author":"Rachel","date":"November 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I went to Scriptus this year, and it was an experience! And, of course I had to review the show. Find out what I thought.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The crowded Epic section of Scriptus.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/313095467_868228677697016_702078319481319218_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/313095467_868228677697016_702078319481319218_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/313095467_868228677697016_702078319481319218_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/313095467_868228677697016_702078319481319218_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10530,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/stl-show-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":3},"title":"2023 St. Louis Pen Show","author":"Rachel","date":"June 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jim and I attended the St. Louis Pen Show this year! Find out what I thought and see my ratings for the usual categories.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photograph of the map of the show floor posted at the show entrance","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230624_154637-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10944,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2023-dc-pen-show-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":4},"title":"2023 DC Pen Show, Part 2","author":"Rachel","date":"August 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"My second of 3? posts about the 2023 DC Pen Show. The show has greatly improved over the last few years. But everything is a work in progress, and I'm sharing some suggestions I have to make it even better.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"handout mockup outside. Pen Show banner and hotel floorplan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/handout-mockup-outside.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/handout-mockup-outside.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/handout-mockup-outside.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/handout-mockup-outside.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/handout-mockup-outside.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15680,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2025-dc-pen-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":8134,"position":5},"title":"2025 DC Pen Show","author":"Rachel","date":"August 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I went to the pen show with good intentions. But, I completely blew my budget before noon on Friday. I have zero regrets.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen Shows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen Shows","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/pen-shows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"screenshot of the pen show map showing the upstairs rooms","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-dc-upstairs.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-dc-upstairs.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-dc-upstairs.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-dc-upstairs.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8137,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8134\/revisions\/8137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}