Onsite Accessibility Services
In-Person Conference & Event Space
All convention centers and hotels the conference occupies are accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). All rooms at the conference are wheelchair accessible and have seats in the first row and back row marked as reserved for individuals with accessibility needs. Please use these accommodations if you need them and we ask that no one question anyone’s use of this accommodation as some disabilities are invisible.
Space has been left for two wheelchairs in the front and back of each meeting room. Please keep designated wheelchair areas and aisles clear for person who may be using wheelchairs, canes, crutches, or motorized scooters. Space should be left around the doors and aisles to allow access.
Convention Center & Event Space Limitations
AWP works closely with the hotels and convention center to plan the conference and assure Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and related accessibility compliance. However, AWP does not control or oversee the building’s accessibility for the hotels or the convention center. The hotels and convention centers are responsible for the accessibility of all common areas, building entrances and exits, room entrances and exits, hallways, bathrooms, roll-up doors and air walls, escalators, and elevators. AWP does not have the authority to make alterations to these spaces or their fire codes and security policies. While AWP has taken numerous steps to ensure these properties adhere to the guidelines set forth in the ADA, including multiple assessments of each property, as well as obtaining contractual language guaranteeing ADA adherence, we rely on the hotel and convention center staff at these venues to make sure the buildings themselves are accessible. Each building has ADA accessible entrances as outlined in this document, but some other entrances must be locked to the outside for all attendees to ensure the security of the building for all attendees.
Mobility Constraints
Due to the large size of the AWP Conference & Bookfair, the sessions are often spread out, and distances between sessions may be considerable. Please remember in your travel plans to bring any mobility equipment you may need to help navigate throughout the conference, including between the convention center, hotels, and surrounding areas. If you find you need to rent equipment onsite, please see the Scooter & Wheelchair Rentals section of this document. If you require help navigating the conference, please see the Attendant and Assistants and Volunteer Assistance sections of this document.
Registration Services
AWP’s online registration system provides attendees with the opportunity to indicate if they have accessibility needs. If you indicate that you have accessibility needs when registering, an AWP staff member will contact you to follow up and help ensure those needs are met.
AWP does not require that any conference attendee disclose a disability; however, we can better meet specific needs if we know well ahead of time that a reasonable accommodation will be needed.
Onsite registration, located in the Seattle Convention Center, will have an entrance for attendees with disabilities who would prefer not to stand in long registration lines, in addition to a wheelchair-height registration kiosk.
For any questions regarding the registration process, please email registration@awpwriter.org.
Onsite Accessibility Contact
We will post onsite contact information in early March 2023.
Onsite Accessibility Tour
The Accessibility Tour is scheduled at 3:00 p.m. on March 8. Please meet at 3:00 p.m. at the Accessibility Services Desk, located in the Summit Lobby on Level 1 of the Summit Building, Seattle Convention Center.
Accessibility Desk
Requests for help onsite are best addressed directly to the Accessibility Desk. While the conference is in session, AWP’s small staff cannot monitor social media for requests. The Accessibility Desk will be located in the Summit Lobby on Level 1 of the Summit Building, Seattle Convention Center. If you require assistance after-hours, or are unable to get to the Accessibility Desk, please see the Onsite Accessibility Contact section of this document.
AWP conference staffers will be available at the Accessibility Desk from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to offer assistance.
Service Animals
All service animals are welcome in all spaces at the AWP Conference & Bookfair.
Attendees are reminded that service animals are working animals and should not distract or attempt to pet them.
Interpreters and CART
Interpreters, including American Sign Language, Cued Speech Alliteration, and Computer Assisted Real Time Captioning (CART) are available.
AWP can provide interpreters and CART services for any onsite conference event, including the bookfair, from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Arrangements for interpreters and CART require advanced planning for a conference as large as AWP’s. Interpreters can best meet interpreting and CART needs when requests are received for the specific events you will attend in advance. To make a request for an interpreter, contact Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org by Wednesday, February 15, 2023, with a list of the events you plan to attend. AWP makes every effort to accommodate requests that arrive after February 15, but sometimes interpreters are unavailable unless booked well in advance of our conference.
All featured events will be ASL interpreted and live-captioned. All virtual events will include captions.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services
In addition to scheduling interpreters and/or CART services, assistive listening devices will available. If you would like an assisted listening device scheduled for a certain room or session, please reach out to conference@awpwriter.org.
Blind and Low-Vision Services
The conference program is provided in multiple formats to accommodate multiple accessibility needs. Large format and plaintext digital versions of the schedule will be available closer to the conference. A limited number of printed plaintext versions of the schedule will be available at the Accessibility Services Desk. Additionally, conference presenters are encouraged to describe themselves and any visual aids they might use.
The Seattle Convention Center is completely free of florescent lighting. If you do need a dark private space, please use one of the two wellness rooms located on levels 3 and 4 of the Seattle Convention Center. One attendee per room at a time. Keys provided at the AWP Help Desk, located in Registration, Summit Lobby, Seattle Convention Center, Level 1.
Attendants & Assistants
Registered attendees requiring an attendant or assistant to facilitate their participation and accessibility needs will be granted one complimentary registration for an attendant/assistant. To register an attendant/assistant, please email registration@awpwriter.org.
Volunteer Assistance
Volunteers are available for those who may require assistance throughout the conference. Volunteers can provide assistance with note taking, navigation, and other tasks. AWP can best meet volunteer assistance needs when requests are sent by Wednesday, February 15, 2023, to Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org. AWP makes every effort to accommodate requests that arrive after February 15.
Attendees requiring specific problem solving and onsite assistance during the conference should request it from personnel at the Accessibility Desk. Please see the Accessibility Desk section of this document for directions.
In-Person Zoom & Technology
AWP welcomes those unable to attend the conference due to a disability to Zoom in as a presenter via the virtual conference platform.
AWP is able to provide internet, a projector, and screen for Zoom if the organizer of the event emails Events Coordinator Aubrey Kamppila at events@awpwriter.org before September 19, 2022 to make the request. If contacted before September 19, AWP can almost certainly provide this technology.
Unfortunately, AWP is not always able to fulfill technology requests that come after September 19. In cases where presenters request to Zoom in after September 19, organizers can purchase internet for their event and use a personal laptop or tablet to Zoom in their remote presenter. Email events@awpwriter.org if you have questions.
Presentations & Handouts
Please see the Presenter Guidelines webpage for more information about how best to fulfill obligations to the audience, including attendees with accessibility needs.
Hallway Seating & Quiet Space
AWP has also designated two wellness rooms onsite in the Seattle Convention Center. These are single-person rooms for attendees to use in whatever way they see fit. The room will have seating and a built-in sink. These rooms can be used as a quiet, private space to gather your thoughts, reset, or take a break away from the crowds. Great to use for those needing low light space or to rest from overstimulation. Keys provided at the AWP Help Desk, located in Registration, Summit Lobby, Seattle Convention Center, Level 1.
Weather
Seattle, Washington in early March has an historic average temperature high of 49-52 degrees, and a low of around 40 degrees. Please prepare accordingly and visit a source such as AccuWeather for the most up to date Seattle weather forecast.
Allergy Accommodations & Fragrances
As a courtesy to attendees with chemical sensitivities, attendees should refrain from using scented products to help ensure the comfort of everyone at the conference.
Some conference hotels offer allergen-free rooms, cleaning products, and bedding, as well as a mini-fridge, upon request. Please contact the hotel of your choice for more information.
Hotel Rooms
All AWP conference hotels are ADA accessible and should be contacted directly for reservations. Hotel contact information may be found on the Hotel & Travel webpage. These hotels have a limited number of rooms available for guests with accessibility needs. Given the number of attendees, and attendees with accessibility needs at the conference, AWP hotels often sell out months in advance as reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. If you require an ADA room, please make reservations as soon as possible. If you are having difficulty securing an ADA room, please contact Conference Staff at at conference@awpwriter.org.
Scooters & Wheelchairs
10 scooters and 10 wheelchairs are available free of charge at the Seattle Convention Center. These may be reserved by emailing Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org. Reservations are not required. Scooters and wheelchairs will also be available on first-come, first-served basis throughout the days of the conference.
If you would like to rent a scooter or other mobility equipment during your time in Seattle, please see Scootaround’s website for more information.
Visual Cues
Seattle Convention Center, Summit Building
Please find photos and visual cues for the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit Building. All of AWP’s sessions and bookfair will take place in this building. Please note that you may notice construction workers, caution tape, or equipment in these photos as construction was still being completed at the time these photos were taken. All construction equipment and barriers will be removed by #AWP23.
The main entrance to the Summit Building of the Seattle Convention Center is located at 900 Pine Street, on the corner of Pine Street and 9th Avenue.
The designated main entrance of the Seattle Convention Center Summit building, located at 900 Pine Street. The entrance includes stairs down and a ramp, both with railings.
This is the main bank of doors to the 900 Pine Street entrance.
The accessible entry door at 900 Pine Street is located all the way to the right of the main bank of doors. There is a wheelchair button on the post in this picture, which will be functional during show hours of the conference. During off-hours, you can press the red button on the call box and security can let you in.
When entering the Summit building, you will proceed down this hallway. Retail outlets and bathrooms are located on the left in this photo. Registration, the Help Desk, and the Accessibility Desk are the on the right side.
This is the flooring in the main entrance hallway of Summit Lobby.
To the right of the main Pine Street entry hallway is where registration, the AWP Help Desk, and the Accessibility Services Desk will be located.
To the left of the main Pine Street entry hallway is this alcove where future retail shops will be located. To the left in this photo is the Women’s Restroom and to the right is the Men’s Restroom.
At the other end of the Lobby is a second entrance at 901 Olive Avenue. You can take the stairs up to the entrance or use the accessible lift on the right side.
This is a photo of the inside of the Olive Avenue entrance. The accessible lift exits to the Summit Lobby on the left platform in this photo.
After you proceed through registration in the Summit Lobby, you can take elevators, escalators, or stairs down one level to the Bookfair.
To get down to the bookfair level, there is one set of escalators or stairs, a small platform, and then another set of escalators or stairs.
You can also take elevators directly from Summit Lobby down to the Bookfair Level. These are the elevators on the Bookfair level.
This is the pre-function area outside of the Bookfair entrance. The main bookfair entrance is the first opening to the left.
All events will be taking place on levels 3, 4, and 5, and all levels are laid out similarly. There are elevators to each level, and also escalators and stairs. This photo was taken on Level 2, and shows continuous stars and elevators to level 3, 4, and 5. The area to the right of the stairs is for seating.
This is the main hallway on level 4, where many events will be scheduled.
This is a photo of the concrete floor in the main hallways.
This is the entry to a meeting room. Most meeting rooms have entrances like this.
This is a photo of the carpet in the entryway of meeting rooms. This is also the carpet inside the meeting rooms.
This is an example of a meeting room in the Seattle Convention Center.
This is a photo of the level 5 hallway. Down this hallway are both featured event ballrooms and the Signature Room.
This is an entrance to Ballroom 2. Ballrooms 1, 2, and 3 all have similar entrances.
This is a photo taken inside the ballrooms.
This is a photo of the carpet both inside the ballrooms and in the entryways to the ballrooms.
Offsite Events
Offsite Events are not produced, moderated, or curated by AWP, and AWP is not responsible for their quality or accessibility services. We list these events as a courtesy to the literary field. The organizers of these events have promised to AWP that the offsite venues listed in the offsite schedule are accessible according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you have any questions or concerns about specific offsite events, please contact the organizers of the event directly. If you attend an offsite event and find it is not accessible in accordance with the ADA, please contact Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org to let us know.
Closest Pharmacies
Walgreen’s
222 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101 (0.2 miles)
Store Hours: Daily 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT
Pharmacy Hours
Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT
Sunday: Closed
CVS
1401 2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101 (0.3 mi)
Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT
Saturday-Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT
Bartell Drugs
1628 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA (0.2 mi)
Store Hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. PT
Pharmacy Hours
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT
Sober AWP
The conference hosts a daily 12-step meeting. The time and location of this meeting will be made available in the conference schedule. All in recovery are welcome. Please contact soberawp@gmail.com for more information.
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
Greater Seattle Intergroup of AA
5507 6th Avenue S., Seattle, WA 98108
Staff available by phone 24/7: 206-587-2838
http://www.seattleaa.org
Click here to find Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Seattle
Narcotics Anonymous Meetings
Narcotics Anonymous Seattle Area
Seattle Area Meetings
https://seattlena.org/
