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mary otten wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:20080310055001.maryotten@earthlink.net"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">i wanted to make one other comment. i don't think its a matter of people not thinking we are not important enough to accommodate. its always a matter of competing interests, what a uu on another list called competing covenants, in a slightly different context. here's a hypothetical scenario. what would you do if you were the auction leader and you learned that we had two choices of venue. one has lots of room, but we will have to pay 4 thousand dollars to rent it. the other is adequate for most people, but its limited such that if you use a mobility device like a wheelchair, you are going to have serious issues navigating. this place costs 1000 dollars to rent. do you pay the extra 3k to ensure that their is enough space for absolutely all? do you do that knowing that the amount you raise will likely fall short of what was needed based on the budget for the year? what if the spacious location cost just 1k more, but it was out in coburg? so maybe attenda
nce will be dow!
n from normal. this is why i say accessibility rights are different from civil rights. </pre>
</blockquote>
Mary,<br>
<br>
I agree with your comments to some degree. However, if the space that
is chosen is not suitable for a wheelchair, or will cause overcrowded
conditions that might make it difficult for others who use walkers or
are infirm in some way, this fact should be acknowledged up front.<br>
<br>
The other thing is that saying the funds raised by the auction are
needed for the budget ignores the fact that there are other ways to
raise money--just ten people pledging $100 per month would equal
$12,000. So would getting 100 people to raise their pledge by just $10
per month. As I understand it from professional fund raisers,
money-raising efforts like auctions, rummage sales, etc. probably serve
greater value as community-creating events, in which case inclusiveness
<u>is</u> an important factor. And, of course, there are other ways to
create community, as well.<br>
<br>
Cindy<br>
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