The Disabled and the SCA
Camping out, crazy weather, winding unpaved pathways, dry straw and potholes are the bane of an SCA member who happens to be disabled. It is a sad fact but true, in the middle ages those with disabilities who were rich or had needed skills survived and those who were uneducated or poor did not survive. In the SCA, anyone can survive if they keep their wits about them and are willing to accept help. I am new to the SCA and in a wheelchair for much of the time. In my short time I have met both a blind man, a deaf young woman and several wounded and hobbling fighters. So these suggestions come out of my own experiences and what I have observed.
* Come with a friend. - My fiance' got me into the SCA and he is always with me (or he makes sure that, if he is not there someone is with me who can help me IF I need it). If you are physically disabled having a friend with you is really important.
* Plan Ahead. - Plan for anything. Carry lighter clothes if you are dressed warm. If you are mobile sometimes (I can walk short distances.) make sure to carry a walking stick just in case the terrain is less than wheelchair friendly. For extra protection from falling, put a rubber tap on the end of your walking stick just as if it were a cane. Bring any medications you need with you (even if you are not staying overnight). God forbid some emergency happens, medical personel will know what you are taking. If you have a severe medical problem (heart problems, epilepsy, diabetes...) , speak with the Chiurgen (medical person for the group) at the begining of the event.
* Allergies - If you have non food allergies, bring a first aid kit that includes those medical supplies you need to deal with your allergies. If your allergy is bug or bite related, go to your doctor and get the allergy shots that you can bring with you. If you have a food allergy, bring the same but make sure to speak with the feastacrat before the event, if possible. Find out what is being served and what it is made from to avoid any allergic reactions.
* Be sure you know where everything is and how to get to it. - There is nothing worse than needing to go to a bathroom while in a wheelchair or on crutches and finding out that the facilities are all the way across the campground. Find out where everything is before the day of of event. Call the autocrat if you can't find the information online. This way you can park yourself near the things you need the most.
Survival is an important facet of enjoying the SCA if you have a disability but advancing, socializing and participating are the most important reasons for being there. One of my first concerns as a member came when I was told how you advance - service. Helping with feast, helping set up events, helping clean up afterward are all things that I thought were completely outside of the realm of possibility for me. This was a little disheartening to say the least. But there is a whole lot more to service to your group than manual labor. I learned this very quickly at Estrella War this year. Volunteering at Troll is a blast (even when all Hades broke loose), the people you are helping really appreciate it and anyone can do it. I even got to volunteer for security the last night. If you want to participate you can... disability or no.
Teaching is a way to be of service to your group. You might not think of anything that you can teach right away. But get on the internet and start looking. If you can answer the questions you have about period subjects you will find something that you can share with the group.
Do you have a skill that would be considered period? This is something you can teach. If there is a skill that you would like to be able to do, either teach yourself or get someone to teach it to you then you can teach it to others.
Reasearching is a way to serve. Every feast must be researched to be sure that the food is in period. Garb must be researched so that it will be accurate to period. Hand made weapons must be researched. Even if you buy a weapon it must be authenticated.
Writing is a good way to be of service to the group. Submit articles to your barony or canton newsletters. Submit articles to one of the many SCA magazines. Offer to help with your canton or barony web page (if they do not have one and you know how, offer to create one for them).
If you are talented musically or artistically you have a beautiful way to contribute. Do you sew? Helping others with their garb is a good way to socialize and contribute your skills.
Every skill and every activity that might have been important in period are important to the SCA. And you don't have to be able to walk, hear or even see to contribute and there is no reason for anyone to simply sit on the sidelines and watch unless that is what they really want to do.