BiCon is a community event & committed to being accessible to everyone who would like to attend.
This includes not only the use of a wheelchair friendly site, but extends to the provision of:
Some bedrooms with wheelchair accessible facilities (see "venue" page)
Daytime childcare facilities (crèche)
Induction loop system in main hall
A smoke-free environment & quiet chill-out space
A fair pricing scheme based on attendees' incomes
Help for people who have financial difficulties: The "Helping Hand Fund"
A strict anti-harassment policy in the form of The Code of Conduct
Counselling and support services on demand throughout the event.
Let us know your needs
In order to provide some of these facilities we need to plan in advance, so please do get your booking form or enquiry in to us as soon as possible. If you have a specific question, email access@… and we'll do our best to help.
Need a Helping Hand?
The Helping Hand Fund exists to assist BiCon attendees who may not otherwise be able to afford to come to BiCon. If you think you or someone else could benefit from this then you can tick the appropriate box on your registration form, email access@…or write to us with appropriate details. When you apply do try to give us some additional information about your specific needs. We generally can't provide full funding for attendees, but we will do our best to allocate our limited resources fairly. If you are seeking a simple reduction in rates, please let us know how much you can afford to pay as this reflects the ethos of the BiCon sliding scale whereby people pay according to their means.
If you are unable to pay upfront and are applying for the helping hand fund we will accept your booking as provisional and finalise it when funding and payment have been agreed upon between yourself and the BiCon team; we will always try to reach a mutual agreement over the final figure.
When you apply we might contact you for additional information relating to your application but we will not be able to give you an immediate answer as the level of our support is dependent on the total number of applicants together with the amount of any additional donations which we receive.
The deadline for applications to the Helping Hand Fund is 20th July 2009. We are sorry that we cannot accept applications to the Fund after this date. Applicants will be contacted regarding the final outcome of their application no later than 1st August 2009.
Some examples (which are by no means exhaustive) of situations where people might require funding are:
- People with access needs who require a personal assistant for the duration of their stay or to cover extra costs which going to a BiCon might incur, such as wheelchair hire, etc.
- People with a long term sickness or disability
- People who are bringing children and need help with the extra accommodation costs.
- People with financial difficulties who would otherwise be unable to attend BiCon.
Donate to the Helping Hand Fund
Each year the Helping Hand Fund is financed partly by a contribution from the operating budget, with the remainder coming from voluntary donations. In 2008 we received £940 in donations, and were able to help 34 people as a result.
Donations to the Helping Hand Fund are most welcome – if by post, make cheques payable to "BiCon 2009" and write "Helping Hand Donation" on the back of the cheque, and mail it to us at BiCon 2009, BM BiCon, London, WC1N 3XX. Alternatively you can fill in the box on your booking form & add the donation to your booking payment.
All H.H.F. applications and donations will be treated in the strictest confidence.