Thankyou all that responded. My limited typing prevents me from
thanking each of you separately. What I found the hardest was sorting
thru my feelings: initial defeat (another lost opportunity...) inflamed
by disability activist superego (this is outrageous oppression that must
be fought to the death!), complicated by ambivalence about going in the
1st place. But thanx to great responses, I decided to go for it: I
emailed my advisor asking for his help, and directly asked the RSVP person
for a change of venue. The former said it was out of his control, the
latter said no -- the host is the widow of the former editor of the
volume, throwing a party in her home. So, no luck.
But the important thing was I felt so empowered asking, with the
knowledge that this WASN'T a fight to the death. If it were a department
function, I would have felt righteous about making a fuss, enlisting other
grad students if possible, etc. Although then, as now, political
considerations wud have to be weighed.
Complicated!
John
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