Rose City Comic Con 2024: Advocacy and Accessibility
By Rebecca Smith
Reporter
Advocacy and accessibility are concepts I’ve become increasingly familiar with, and they were among the biggest draws for me to attend Rose City Comic Con. As the wife of a pop culture enthusiast, someone well-known in his community, I’ve been challenged to step into the world of conventions. While I’ve attended a handful of smaller events, I have yet to experience the mega San Diego Comic-Con. However, I knew I had to go when I saw that RCCC offered ASL interpreting at all major panels and additional interpreting services.
My excitement only grew as I saw the accessibility RCCC provided. One highlight was the “Magic Wheelchairs” booth, a non-profit that transforms wheelchairs into anything you can imagine—dragons, superheroes, you name it! The best part is that this service comes at little to no cost for families; as an ASL teacher who currently works in education and has worked in Special Education and Deaf and Hard of Hearing classrooms, this kind of advocacy hit close to home. I’m familiar with the challenges families face, and this level of accessibility is simply incredible and deserves to be celebrated. My husband and I even caught live ASL interpreting during the main panels, just as RCCC had advertised.
As we wandered through Artists’ Alley, my husband pointed out David Mack, the creator of Echo—a character you may recognize from the live-action series on Disney+! My husband had met him before and spoke highly of him, so we turned back to take in Mack’s artwork, which incorporated signs and ASL. When I finally met Mack, we chatted about our shared love for ASL and the importance of showing students how learning ASL can impact their future in unexpected ways—like in the world of comic books and art! At the end of our conversation, Mack handed me a signed Echo print, a gesture that deeply moved me. Here I was, just an everyday ASL teacher on a vacation to her first big con, and I experienced this incredible act of kindness. It truly felt like a dream come true.
Visit Rose City Comic Con online for more information at https://rosecitycomiccon.com/.
