(no subject)

[killing_rose]

Dear College Council and whomever else is planning tonight's "gala":

Here are a couple easy tips about accessibility.

*First, you might want to think about the fact that Loud Noise is problematic to many people for a variety of reasons. But then you shouldn't come to the dance! you argue. Well, yes, I had already decided that I would see what level of Loud Noise you were going to use before committing to attending. This is my policy on any dance or campus event. (You will note, dear representative, that the gala and associated fun things will not be happening until 10pm and it's not even 7.)

*Keeping the first point in mind, however, you might want to think about testing the equipment at a time that makes sense--for instance, when the building closes before the gala. At around, oh, now. Not three hours ago when people were still in the building. Or two hours ago. Or an hour ago. All of which are times when you played the music so loudly that it could be heard within the room where my friends and I were playing board games. Through the door and rattling the walls.

*Secondly, flashing lights are not necessarily what you want. This is two-fold: first off, it gives off a strobe effect at certain speeds and you really don't want to trigger seizures. Secondly, the flashing lights may also cause people with migraines to be triggered or cause visual distortions.  (Or other problems that I am not thinking of right now.)

It's unfair that because you didn't think of these two obvious issues, I (and others, given that there were several others who were not handling the noise well) are unable to go to a campus-wide event tonight.

Moreover, because of your poor planning, my evening's pretty much destroyed--my head's pounding, my mouth is dry, and the migraine appears to have moved in for the duration.

All I wanted was a couple rounds of boardgames this afternoon. Was this really so much to ask?

Think about these things a bit more, please. For hell's sake, the idea that there are ways to have a nice dance without brain-shattering levels of noise is not novel. I have been present at quieter concerts. Attended by thousands of people.

No love,
The woman whose night is ruined until the meds kick in (if the meds kick in)

P.S. While I'm on the subject, I should probably warn my neighbor (and friend) that it will be far too loud for his hearing aids to function well.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Oh, the fail, it pileth on.

I hope those meds have kicked in, and that you didn't have to pay any money for the privilege of having your evening ruined.

[killing_rose]

I can never figure out who to complain to when the fail really starts. But I have three more semesters, and this is the semester that I have decided to at least start complaining to my dean.

Luckily, the stronger of the two doses calms things down well when taken with food, and it's taken the edge off. (An hour ago, I was still hiding from the world. Right now, I'm just hiding from excessive noise still.)

Had I gone to the dance, it would have been free with student ID. Since I was just hanging out in the building, the privilege of my boardgames afternoon and the rest of the evening being ruined cost no money and not even having to show ID.

Nice of them, right?

[laughingrat]

It seems like people are especially insensitive and clueless about noise. This is a culture of Loud, for sure. :(

[killing_rose]

I'm lucky in that there are levels of Loud that I can tolerate (not many, and piercing levels--like bells--make me cry), but this was a level that even the guys I was hanging out with--the type that thinks that earshattering noise is normal and okay--were wincing by the second go around of "testing".

Just once I want someone to *think* before planning events.

[codeman38]

This.

I'm very easily prone to overload from loud noise. There are so many events at my campus that I really wanted to go to, but that were just plain overloading even with earplugs in.

[lady_ganesh]

We actually complained at one event when I was in college the sound level was so overwhelming. We loved the performer! But TOO MUCH.

[killing_rose]

One of my issues is that one of the guys who organized this event has a habit of wandering around campus with a stereo playing whatever he thinks "helps the mood". He doesn't even see how this is problematic! (Admittedly, I didn't realize how badly I was reacting to this until he went abroad last semester and my brain didn't have to factor it in.)

[lady_ganesh]

Ugh.

[willow]

Because concerts aren't for everyone, and OMG how could they possibly know playing loud noises in a place currently occupied with people might lead to disturbing them. Common sense isn't common you know!

*smh*

[killing_rose]

*snicker* And it's even more fleeting in the scarily intelligent. (Seriously, I know several people who were planning the event. They're brilliant, but might have an ounce of common sense between them. Maybe.)

Isn't it such a novel idea that concerts and dances should be accessible? *grr*

[willow]

I'm beginning to believe that if you're scarily intelligent, and that fact managed to get you sheltered in life then you will lack common sense, cause you'll never have been put in circumstances where you have to use that intelligence practically - like step one of ascending the ivory academic tower.

But yeah, 'OMG you mean there are concerns for the deaf? And blind people go to the movies?!'

Maybe these people should watch some children's public television - last I checked they were treating accessibility pretty everyday in order to encourage children to treat it similarly.

[pne]

the idea that there are ways to have a nice dance without brain-shattering levels of noise is not novel.

I wish.

[yarram]

As I have pointed out to many people on numerous occasions, when That Deaf Guy (i.e. me) turns off his hearing aids and uses them as earplugs, it's just concievably possible that the music is just a wee tad mite bit Too Loud...