h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/A383681

Greetings! I wrote Access Etiquette offline in 1996. It has been published in the Polaris at North Seattle Community College and the Daily Evergreen at Washington State University, and has won an award from the Washinton Protection and Advocacy Society. The article is from my point of view (plus an anecdote) as a physically challenged woman giving advice to able-bodied persons who wish to be accomodating and or helpful to physically challenged individuals, but may not be aware of how best to go about offering assistance. I think it would be a good entry for the guide and would like it to be reviewed. Thanks for your time!

Respectfully,

Pixie Writer

This is a very interesting article. Most of us think that people in wheelchairs have problems, but we don't realise that the problems include trying to avoid unhelpful offers of assistance from able-bodied people.

I think the title should be changed to "Offering assistance to people in wheelchairs" or something like that.

The normal rules for articles in the Guide are that they should be written in the third person - no mention of "me" or "I". Given your particular circumstances, there may be grounds for an exception here. Have a look at the style guidelines at http://www.h2g2.com/SubEditors-Style

Great entry, I think it deserves a place among h2g2's edited entries! I never had the chance to read such a personal perspective on this topic and furthermore never thought that trying to be helpful could be problematic. On the other hand I would think that being polite and thus asking if one could help before actually helping is applicable for everyone, able-bodied or not.

There are two points, however, that I think will need some discussion.

First, since the entry *is* a personal perspective, it is written in the first person, which is ok for the entry of course, but is normally frowned upon in h2g2's edited entries. There are exceptions, however; I vaguely remember an article on diabetes written in first person, too.

The other point is that the entry has been published elsewhere before h2g2. Does this matter, what's with copyright issues?

Other comments?

Hi Gnomon!

Thanks for your feedback. Drat, I must have missed the first person/third person guideline in my initial reading of it. Perhaps they'll be willing to make an exception. I'll wait until I hear back on that issue before I try to go back and rewrite the entire thing. =)

There shouldn't be any problems with copyright because it is my article and both publications are fully aware that I intended to occasionally have it reprinted. After I get it in the guide (should I be lucky that is) I don't think I'll feel a need to have it reprinted any where else. =)

I really wouldn't want to change the title to mention wheelchairs or any other specific physical impairment. The concept is very much to try to help able bodied people think of physically challenged people in general.

Thanks for your time!

Respectfully,

Pixie

Hi!

Oops!! My copyright comment was supposed to be directed to you. Well anyway, first of all, thank you for the feedback. There shouldn't be any problems with copyright because it is my article and both publications are fully aware that I intended to occasionally have it reprinted. After I get it in the guide (should I be lucky that is) I don't think I'll feel a need to have it reprinted any where else. =)

Respectfully,

Pixie

I wouldn't change it to third person either, until you've got some more comments on this... there *are* exceptions from the first person rule as I wanted to point out - I just wasn't sure whether your entry meets the requirements for an exception.

To Gnomon's point on changing the title - I myself hadn't got a clue what was meant with 'Access Etiquette' and clicked on the PR thread believing it dealt with users' allowance to computer systems or the like. So, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing to change the title would it?

SchrEck Inc.

Or, perhaps since you "accidentally" read it, I should keep it the same! Hehehe ... no seriously though, I can see your point about making the title more clear and I'm not married to the current title, but I also don't want to get so specific that the title detracts from the actual point, as I meantioned earlier.

Thanks!

Respectfully,

Pixie

I think that this is a very useful article. The Writing Guidelines say that a first person Entry is not allowed, but I would recommend a deliberate exception in this case. It is a very personal view, based on personal experience, but with an impact that's far more than just personal.

Well Done!

Dear Jeremy;

*Curtseying as best she can from a seated position in an electric scooter* (My physicians upgraded me last year because of arthritis.) Why thank you kindly for the compliment, and thank you for your time! You are a scout, I see? Do I take it you've recommended my entry? Thank you so much if so. =)

Respectfully,

Pixie Writer

Pixi, I'm glad if I can help.

To your question: No, I have not yet recommended your Entry for inclusion in the Guide. I don't think that that's classified info, but there's a kind of schedule for the scouts in order to get a steady flow of recommendations. My time has not yet come, but it will.

My belief is that good Entries (like the one you wrote) will make it into the Guide sooner or later. On the other hand, it would be the first one that's written from a first person perspective, and that's beyond my decision. I'll try to sort that out.

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

If they haven't been along already, the Scout who recommended your entry will post here soon, to let you know what happens next. Meanwhile you can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.h2g2.com/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!

Dear Jeremy;

Hi! Sorry I didn't get back to you. It looks like my first article made it sooner than later! *blushing right to the tips of her antennae!*

Respectfully,

Pixie

Oh!

Thank you so much! *Still blushing to the tips of her lil lavender antennae!!* I really appareciate the honor.

I'm happy with the article as it stands, but I did notice in the Peer Review Forum there was some ommentary about the title. I wanted to mention that I'm not married to the title as is. I meant "access etiquette" to be a play on the term "disabled access" and to mean, "Ettiquete for interacting with physically challenged people," which is rather long for offline newspapers. As long you create a title that means just that and doesn't mention any specific kind of disability such as people in wheelchairs or blindness or lack of limbs, I shall be happy.

Respectfully,

Pixie Writer

CONGRATULATIONS

Looks like Im a bit late but here it is anyway

Youll be glad to know that we think this entry is great, and it has now gone into the Editorial process for future inclusion in the Edited Guide. When it does get into the Edited Guide, we will email you to let you know, but please bear in mind it can take a while for entries to go through the sub-editing system.

Keep up the good work!

Leanne (Scout)