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   Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:18:46 JST Anna e só

   I was a keynote speaker at FOSDEM last year; it was my first time at the conference. I’m blind and I use a white cane. I found it very difficult to orient myself there—some rooms were so crowded it was impossible to not use my cane with a very defensive stance (i.e. using it to try to block people from hitting me); I had to rely on human guides most of the time. Some paths to specific rooms had really rough terrain too, and some rooms are difficult to access (e.g. access through stairs only).

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     Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:21:41 JST Anna e só

     in reply to

     I was deeply uncomfortable with how nonchalant organizers were when talking about matters of public health, normalizing the spread of what they called “FOSDEM flu”. I could barely hear my own thoughts, let alone successfully talk to other people in specific rooms because they were always extremely crowded.

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     Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:26:13 JST Anna e só

     in reply to

     Don’t get me wrong—I deeply value the opportunity to meet, in person, all the people I’ve collaborated with for years. There’s something very special about finally getting to hear their voices without the distortion or delay that comes with video calls, to experience things together in cities I’d never dreamed of visiting because I never thought I’d have a chance to do so.

     What I’m saying is, we shouldn’t have FOSDEM as the only conference or the only way we can cross paths and find each other.

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     Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:28:25 JST Anna e só

     in reply to

     Which reminds me—you should consider submitting something to https://fluconf.online. They accept a variety of formats and it’s online.

     alcinnz repeated this.
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     Gerardo Lisboa (gvlx@masto.pt)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:32:15 JST Gerardo Lisboa

     in reply to

     @anna FOSDEM's success is also their shortcoming.

     I my last presences there I have found more valuable the time I spent visiting stands and talking with people outside the rooms than being in those rooms (but I'm a visitor, not a speaker).

     The opening and closing ceremonies, on the other hand, on the large Jason hall, are very very much the most important sessions, were you can share the moment with the crowd.

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     Gerardo Lisboa (gvlx@masto.pt)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:33:48 JST Gerardo Lisboa

     in reply to

     @anna Also, your issues also reflect the lack of support of the ULB campus to their students.

     Other universities and venues have made more efforts in welcoming people with greater success.

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     Matt Campbell (matt@toot.cafe)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 21:51:17 JST Matt Campbell

     in reply to

     @anna I went to RustConf in 2023 (in Albuquerque), when they still had a strong COVID policy (requiring proof of vaccination, a negative COVID test, and masking). I got to meet people in person, eat with them, etc., but came back home still healthy. Yes, wearing a mask is slightly annoying if one's not used to it, but there's always a tradeoff.

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     Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 23:35:03 JST Anna e só

     in reply to

     Oh, and addressing Jack Dorsey’s presence at FOSDEM: I invite you all to think about it as a symptom of something bigger happening at FOSDEM, not as an issue in and of itself. The mobility issues, the grim logistics of watching talks in person, the difficulty in connecting with others in crowded spaces, the “let it rip” attitude when talking about flu or COVID—those are a part of a whole that tells a story, and this is an invitation to think about how we can do better as a community in general.

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     Anna e só (anna@friend.camp)'s status on Friday, 17-Jan-2025 23:38:29 JST Anna e só

     in reply to

     I say that because several of the considerations I’ve seen floating around the fediverse are 100% important, and we need to acknowledge them all. We can’t move forward if we keep focused just working on improving parts of that whole and never address the whole; and we can’t do anything different if we keep limiting ourselves to dream mediocre dreams. Dare to dream way beyond what you currently see.

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     Thibaultmol 🌈 (thibaultmol@en.osm.town)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 00:19:52 JST Thibaultmol 🌈

     in reply to

     @anna (please don't interpret my response as an attack, that's not how I mean I'm just trying to have a conversation)
     But with regards specifically to the physical accessibility (i'm referring to how you need a cane), is there something they could do?
     FOSDEM is held at the ULB campus so it's partially ULB that needs to improve their accessibility as well?

     (again, just asking for what could be done. I don't know enough about navigation for blind people to know what's possible)

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     Thibaultmol 🌈 (thibaultmol@en.osm.town)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 00:23:10 JST Thibaultmol 🌈

     in reply to

     @anna Are the main problems you're facing mainly to do with indoor or outdoor navigation? (or both).

     I am also a volunteer with openstreetmap so I have some vague connections with people who do accessibility things and I know a company that can print braille maps and such. Would that help in some way?

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     Esther Payne :bisexual_flag: (onepict@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 07:38:09 JST Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

     in reply to

     @anna if you have the spoons I feel there's the making of a blog post there.

     It would fit in really well with your other ones.

     https://notapplicable.dev/freeze-but-fight
     And
     https://notapplicable.dev/ode-to-free-software

     Because FOSDEM and the organisers are a symptom of our status quo and the unthinking harm that hits anyone who's in the sharp edges of society.

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     Thibaultmol 🌈 (thibaultmol@en.osm.town)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 07:41:45 JST Thibaultmol 🌈

     @anna it'd have to verify this but normally nav.fosdem.org has a navigation tool inside that allows one to choose 'wheelchair' and give it a route that is accessible by wheelchair.

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     Esther Payne :bisexual_flag: (onepict@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 08:14:55 JST Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

     @anna that would be really cool.