My name is Donna Maizon.
I'm Danielle Silk.
This was [an attempt at] a collective statement created collaboratively by
Deaf, Disabled, Queer, Fat, Transgender, People of Color (QTPOC).
We have been working all week to bring you this statement.
Denying us access to the Oakland Book Festival was unacceptable.
Here are our experiences that day. We hope you are able to recognize them.
Marek: Can you provide some background on how you heard about the Oakland Book Festival? (OBF)
Donna: My friend Danielle let me know about the event.
Danielle: I first heard of the event on Saturday.
As a Deaf person, it's rarely an option to sporadically attend events such as the OBF.
I figured I wouldn't have access, as most events, if they're even willing to provide ASL interpreting,
require me to be responsible for communication my access needs well in advance.
However, I was surprised to see that there already seemed to be some discussions regarding access.
Unfortunately those discussions left me feeling conflicted.
From what I was able to follow it seems a fundraising Gala was held in a historic Victorian building.
A [fundraising] Gala was to be held on top floor of a building without elevator access.
wheelchair users, fat people, crippled people and people with physical injuries, any person needing an elevator for
any reason was denied access to this event.
I could see many problems with using this building.
I watched this unfold on Facebook.
From what I was able to understand, there seemed to be 5 Hearing, Disabled panelists.
One of these panelists decided to withdraw their participation in the Oakland Book Festival
They did not feel welcome at such an event.
The remaining panelists decided to participate in the event after ongoing discussions
with Kira Don, one of the co-founders of the Oakland Book Festival.
She apologized and recognized there was a problem,
When we asked if the same problems would continue the next day
she guaranteed that they were committed to work with us,
and would make sure that everyone had access.
I is my understanding that the panelists decided participate in the festival
in good faith after working with Kira Don.
I decided to trust the decision to attend based on the decision to participated put forth by
the remaining panelists reflecting intersectional Disabled, Queer, Transgender, People of Color identities
knowing that they are trusted leaders in their communities who I just trust.
Knowing they would be there meant I felt safe going their as well. That was a place I wanted to be.
Marek: My second question is,
When your group went into the
Oakland Book festival, what happened?
Donna: We were surprised to only see one interpreter.
Danielle: Yes, we arrived about 10 mins early,
We started looking for the interpreter then I saw Stacey Milbern. She helped connect us with the interpreter.
I had some concerns because the one interpreter seemed extremely nervous. I was worried about them.
But since we're all human, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and try to make a connection.
Usually, when I meet a new interpreter for the first time I try to make small talk
to make sure we can understand each other so I can have access to information.
However, the more I conversed with this interpreter, the more concerned I became.
There were several words they struggled to spell correctly or clearly. I struggled to make meaning.
Honestly, I was very concerned.
I asked if there was another interpreter coming.
The interpreter answered that there should be. They appeared nervous and distracted.
They went on to explain that there should be someone coming but I was unable to understand the details.
I was now thinking about access for myself, my friend, and for the interpreter.
It was a lot of stress for me so I decided to wait and see.
I was hoping it was traffic or something holding up the other interpreter. That happens.
Donna and I discussed it, and decided see how it went. The panel moved forward with one interpreter.
Marek: My third question is:
When you realized access wasn't happening what did you do next?
Donna: We rushed upstairs to find Kira
Danielle: Well, the panel was going along,
and you have to understand and my first language is English,
so even though the interpretation wasn't great,
I could still piece it together.
It was so important for me to see these panelists and to hear their stories.
It was so important to take in their stories
as a DeafDisabled, queer, femme,
Jewish, working-class, lesbian
with this intersectional* identity
I guess I wanted to feel less alone. I wanted to connected with others with similar
experiences, identities, stories.
After really struggling to piece together this information I was feeling conflicted.
I felt torn between checking in with my friend and taking care of myself.
I am so grateful for Stacey Milbern. She saw that access was not happening for us.
She noticed that we weren't understanding what was happening. And that the interpreter needed a break.
Interpreters are human, they get tired
They should should have breaks every 20 mins
by switching off with a team.
So, Stacey, who was a panelist herself, made space for everyone to process what was going on
and figure out how to ensure that everyone has access to the event and the information being shared.
Marek: My fourth question is:
How did the director, Kira, respond to your group?
Donna: She was very short with us. She was unable to understand us.
Kira came into the room and appeared bothered by our requests. She had a headset and a clipboard on.
She appeared to be very busy.
It was difficult for me to engage with her due to her lack of attention and consideration for our presence.
Kira did not plan for interpreter breaks and thus was unabled to understand us.
Fortunately, Corbett O'Toole, a longtime Disabled activist, was in the room.
Corbett is fluent in both American Sign Language and English.
She was able to facilitate communication between Stacey, Kira, Donna, and myself.
We clearly pointed out the problem: attendees at the Oakland Book Festival were denied access.
We asked Kira her plan to address the fact that Donna and I did not have access to the event.
Her response contained several comments that were incredibly painful for me to witness.
First she apologized that there had been a problem.
She then went on to state that she had 5,000 other priorities.
I understood this to mean that you and I were at the very bottom of her list. Number five thousand and one.
Bearing witness to these comments was dehumanzing... devastating...
Kira then went on to stat that she had spent at least four or five hours that week alone focused on
providing access for the disabled to the Oakland Book Festival, which was a free and volunteer event.
I was taken aback.
As a DeafDisabled person,
if I only had to spend 4-5 hours a week focused on accessibility,
my week would improve drastically!
So, those comments were really painful.
[Asking Donna:] How did you feel about being number five thousand and one on Kira's list?
Donna: It was disheartening, to say the least.
Marek: To revisit question four:
How did the director, Kira, respond to your group?
Donna: Kira continued to make dehumanizing comments and defend herself.
She was really condescending towards Danielle, Stacey, and Corbett.
Danielle: Kira clearly was unable to understand us or our need for access at the Oakland Book Festival.
Collectively, the group of panelists decided to
to Dr. Angela Davis
and Dr. Judith Butler
because we all recognize their lifetime contributions and labor to
with and for QTPOC and Disabled QTPOC communities.
We hoped that Dr. Angela Davis and Judith Butler would recognize our need for access
and propose some kind of solution.
Donna: So we all took the elevator up one by one,
but when the elevator doors opened,
encountered another obstacle.
To reach the next floor, there were only stairs.
I told Danielle to go ahead by herself.
Danielle: Here was yet another barrier, Kira standing with crossed arms blocking the doors to
the very room where Drs. Angela Davis and Judith Butler were presenting,
was only accessible by stairs!
I felt for my friends, but as a white person
to represent a group of QTPOC, people using wheelchairs,
I felt it wasn't my place,
It was a huge honor that they trusted me to go and represent us.
Kira again literally blocked my access by standing in front of me trying to talk to me.
The small room was set up with several rows of chairs. The panel featuring Drs. Davis and Bulter was well lit
in the center of the room.
I made my way through the rows of chairs, to where Drs. Davis and Butler were.
I was trying to locate an interpreter, you know, who I literally needed to voice my concerns.
This took at least thirty seconds and drew everyone's attention. It was really overwhelming.
But I knew it was important. And I was thinking of the importance of Donna's voice.
Knowing her gave me the courage to do what I felt was right.
Finally the same interpreter, who had been there all day, struggling,
still without a team, was unable to accurately convey the urgency of my message.
I had to break down each and everything I had to say to the most basic terms.
Well, Dr. Davis and Dr. Butler realized there was a communication breakdown.
However, they chose to continue the panel.
They did not address our lack of access at the Oakland Book Festival or at their panel.
We do, however, what to recognize the effort put forth by Dr. Davis.
Donna: She violated Oakland City Hall's building code
By allowing for six wheelchairs when the fire code only permitted three.
Marek: How did it feel
to be denied access over and over again throughout the day
at the Oakland Book Festival?
Donna: We were told over and over again, all day wait, hold on, give us some more time,
and all we got were apologies and excuses. Oakland Book Festival's response was unacceptable.
Danielle: We went to the Oakland Book Fair
to meet new people, have new experiences, you know, learn something new.
We just wanted to enjoy our Sunday.
Here we were at a entitled, "The Revolution will be Accessible"
but all the same old barriers were there.
There was no room for us there.
It was really painful.
But something beautiful came from this too,
because we've now worked for a week together with
(Danielle and Donna alternating)
Queer,
Deaf,
Disabled,
Transgender,
Fat,
People of Color.
Danielle: Yes, it's been a lot of work!
And for 40 years Deaf and Disabled communities have been asking and waiting for access in Oakland.
Not only that but Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed a a whole 25 years ago.
It's now 2017.
It's time for change.
Moving forward, if we want the OBF to continue, we have 5 demands.
Marek: Your group has 5 demands? What are they?
Donna: First, to do all that planning for OBF, without Us, just can't happen.
Second, we need to provide a wheelchair-friendly spaces.
Only allowing 3 or 4 wheelchairs in a small room, isn't wheelchair friendly.
They need to look for another space, that will allow access
for all users of mobility devices, wheelchairs, scooters etc.
Third, regarding bathrooms,
When I went to the one bathroom that was wheelchair accessible and I needed to wait for a non-wheelchair user to finish using the stall. It was't right.
Danielle: And although there were men's and women's bathrooms,
we need to ensure bathroom accessibility for people who are trans and gender non-conforming (GNC).
We can accomplish this by covering up existing gender-specific signage,
and having a discussion with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming people about bathroom needs.
Donna: Fourth, if you're going to spend continue to spend money for hotels, food, speaker fees,
you really need to prioritize funds for ASL interpreters.
Danielle: Fifth, when you start advertising for the 2018 OBF,
it is imperative that accessibility information is clearly posted.
We really had to search to find it.
I have already sent information to organizers: Sins Invalid's
event planning guide: Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Our Movement is Our People.
I believe this guide can be purchased for around $16.
Please start there for next year.
Our bilingual Deaf and Disabled working group has lead and explained and supported you enough.
We are done.
Now . . . the future of the Oakland Book Festival and our access
is up to you.
This week, we had the opportunity to demonstrate what the disability justice really looks like.
A big thank you to
the Deaf,
Queer,
Disabled,
People of Color,
and Transgender panelists and attendees
for leading the way, and showing us how to make room for . . .
ALL!
The revolution WILL be accessible!
Danielle: Thank you to . . .
Us!
Donna: Yeah, Us!
Danielle: Woo!
Donna: Yeah.
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