[Foundation-l] A question for the Wikimania jury

[Austin Hair]

On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 4:31 PM, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> Does the phrase "easily accessible" mean wheelchairs, etc., or does it
>  mean "close to Europe and North America"?

I'm pretty sure that's not a bona fide question, but I'll bite.  I'll
address both issues, but I think the paragraph in question makes it
pretty clear which falls closer to the mark.

As of 2008, two Wikimanias in a row will have been held in locations
rather distant from Europe and North America.  I think that this is a
great thing—both offered terrific opportunities for outreach, cultural
diversity, &c.—but it's obviously more cost-prohibitive for denizens
of those continents to attend.  To entirely disregard a significant,
though by no means all-important segment of our community would be
rather stupid of us.

If it were simply a matter of being "closer to Europe and North
America," however, and if that were the deciding factor, Toronto would
have won easily.  When we talk about "accessibility," we look at the
broader community, not just the NATO-centric view.  As Patricia points
out later in this thread, South America is home to a huge chunk of our
existing and potential community; we could go on to talk about the
continuing recovery from the eswiki fork or debate Ameri- and
Euro-centricity, and although I'm sure somebody will before this
thread ends, the plain fact is that Buenos Aires was judged the
superior bid—with due consideration to who will be able to attend.

As for those with special physical needs, this has always been a
consideration, albeit not one worth explicitly mentioning in the
announcement.  The event organizers will make every effort to ensure
that all such needs are accommodated, and I think that's been done
very well in the past.

Austin