Went to a REALLY bad panel at a local con about disability accessibility that was entirely unhelpful. And I could bitch about it but instead I want to share some actually productive tips for navigating cons with disability.
-I got an umbrella arm for my wheelchair and put a parasol in it so there is something at standing eye level and people don't bump into me. Works great plus people think it's cute. But I imagine anything that makes you effectively taller would work.
-if you need to wear certain shoes but shoes are an important part of the cosplay: couple options, sort of depends on what the cosplay shoes are like.
--Main one would be to make boot covers around the comfy shoe.
--This might be a problem if them being heels or platforms are particularly important to the look. In which case depending you can carry your cosplay shoes and also have walking shoes (I've done this and also it is not uncommon for barefoot cosplays as well). But switching shoes may not be feasible for a lot of reasons.
--If you can afford it buying a good base heel that is comfortable for you that may be viable to have for boot covers for multiple cosplays
-- If this is a consideration for you renting or investing in a wheelchair for the weekend instead of being on your feet that long is totally valid. Even with comfy shoes, unless I'm having a particularly good day a full con of walking would leave me bedridden for a week. I consider being able to not have to worry about if cosplay shoes are comfy enough to walk in a bonus of my chair. Cosplay is a hobby that can require high stamina and if you need more mobility aids than you do in daily life to continue engaging with a passion that is perfectly valid and reasonable
---chairs are fucking expensive though I had to get mine on Craigslist to afford it. But check Craigslist. Also talked to a guy recently who got his chair on temu??? But check weird places for cheaper or second hand things, got mine for 50$
--even cheap insoles can go a long way (and this is a point everyone can benefit from not just people with special needs!) best insoles I had for a while were from fucking wish.com. also they make heel guard insoles and other special like... Padding stickers for the worst part of old/cheap shoes.
--this is obviously not for everyone, but if you're a cosplayer and maker, you might have more skills and materials for making your own shoes than you realize. Again, this is something that might provide accessibility for some but be entirely inaccessible for others, but that's why I've listed options and I do still want to include it. If you have access to a 3d printer you can even get rubber filament and print your own shoe soles.
--also this is all if shoes are important for you! Casual cosplay is still valid. But I don't want people to feel like they're being relegated to only causal cosplay because of a disability if that's not what they want. But also don't want people who don't want to engage in that kind of thing to feel like they have to to dress up and have fun. Hope that makes sense ><
-there are places now you can get badges or signs to print out and attach to mobility aids stating they are not props
--sometimes if you cosplay a character that canonically uses a mobility aid or other equipment people may not realize it's not just part of the costume. They're usually not bad meaning or anything like that but the sign helps skip awkward conversations or misunderstandings.
-Haven't tested it yet but I'm getting a bike/clown horn for my chair. Cons are loud. People can't hear you if you say excuse me especially if you are 2 feet below their ear. Then you project and they think you are angry yelling when in fact you just were trying to be heard. Think a horn of some kind would be a friendlier, sillier sound that could get people's attention that wouldn't cause any 'oh no I'm being yelled at' panic. Friend also suggested getting a vuvuzela to 'give the kids a taste of 2010'. Considering.
-i have a cane that has a fold out seat on it, which isn't enough for cons for me but smaller like street fair events it helps a lot. Very good if standing is harder than walking for you. Takes up less room in the car. Perfect for lines for me.
-Got a small bungee cord and stretched it between the chair handles so I could hang my cane on it so I had it if I felt like I could get up
-prewritten massages and disclaimers can help if you have trouble communicating. I personally use an app called emergency chat for when I go mute. You can make custom splash screens so people know why you are using it to communicate, and I have made a bunch of custom ones for different situations and find it helps.
-Having a hand sigal to let a caretaker know if you are overwhelmed and need to be removed from the situation.
-look up maps of the con/con center ahead of time to try to find where ramps/elevators are. Can be a hassle bc some events might stupidly block off the ramps.
-talked to some fursuiters and found out the idea of 'using fursuit to dampen agoraphobia because it's like wearing your own hidey hole' was not just a me idea! Not an easiest thing to break into but the knowledge still might help some folk.
-lots of bike accessories (like cupholders) fit on wheelchairs and other mobility aids
-the Craig's list wheelchair I got didn't have foot rests but we were able to find like a clip on fabric foot sling for chairs for cheap
-the way stuff attaches to mobility aids is usually very hardware-y which can be hard to find at a con if something breaks. Zipties can help a lot and you can ask prop check for spare ones, they should be happy to help. If there's a cosplay repair booth ask if they have duck tape also.
-Investing in a default comfy cosplay or outfit like a kigu or smth so you have something to wear if things are worse than expected so you feel at least a little less shit for not being able to wear the extra pretty thing.
--currently personally working on an Akatsuki coat bc it's animes most recognizable glorified potato sack and can choose how extra I want to be on shorter notice with different wigs and makeup
-im making this list but like different things are easier for different people. I know some people who find it easier to costume change half way through the day to conserve energy. For me that's a lot of extra work and I'm not sure how to describe why. I guess obligatory 'consider what works for you and don't feel bad if someone else's hack doesn't work' disclaimer.
--if anything on this list seems like it wouldn't help for you I am happy to help spitball solutions to whatever problems you are having! Especially if it is cosplay related.
