I have a local player at my shop he really loves to play and wants to start playing in larger tournaments. He approached me about going with me to the next SCG in Dallas and I told him that was fine and he wants to play in legacy. After I got to thinking I became a little concerned. He has asperger's a developmental disorder affecting their ability to socialize and communicate. Because of this he doesn't talk to anyone except his parents. He has always been able to effectively communicate with his opponant so that hasn't been an issue in the past. So my growing concern became what should I advise him to do if he needs to call for a judge in a large tournament such as an SCG. In the local store he would just raise his hand and I would always see him with no problem. He has gone to a couple SCGs to get use to being around all the people just not played in any of them before. So what should I advise him to do cause I really do want to see him start playing in tournaments and he wants to so bad.

I personally wouldn't worry about it too much. At larger events, when I see a hand in the air, I just assume it is a Judge call.

Assuming his parent will be there at the event (or at least at the very beginning of it), my first suggestion would be to have them approach the head judge in advance and let them know about the situation and see what they can do to accommodate the player. They might want to give them fixed seating and make sure the judges in that area know to keep an eye out for the hand up even without a judge call. Or, if they parent is going to be around, he can ask his parent to call a judge (spectators are allowed to call judges, just like players).

Another option that I can think of, depending on how limited his communication is, would be to make a card or piece of paper that says “Can you please call a judge?” that he can use to get his opponent to call a judge for him.

In general, though, I think the first step is getting in touch with the head judge to let them know about the player's communication issues, and then work together with that judge to figure out a solution. It might even be worthwhile to figure out who the head judge is going to be (you can help him out with that part if the information isn't readily available), and contact them through email ahead of time, instead of trying to show up early and grab them.

Hey Markus, I'm the Head Judge for the Legacy 5k that weekend.

SCG has always done a great job accommodating players, and I'm sure we can work something out for your friend. Chuck's suggestions are all great, please feel free to find me at the event, or reach out to me beforehand and we can find a good solution.

Edited Joe Klopchic (March 2, 2015 06:15:30 PM)

I was actually just about to email you

There are some relevant articles in the “Staff and Players with Disabilities” section of the judge wiki.

http://wiki.magicjudges.org/en/w/Category:Disabilities

(just in case some readers don't know about this useful resource)

Thanks for pointing that article out, Martha :)

What I saw on the SCG Stream was a blind player having “marked” sleeves(braille markings on the front) and another guy in the wheel chair with Multiples Sklerose(hopefully it's the english name for that). The opponent shuffled his deck and he just did a cut.
My mother was disabled, from that I can tell most of them really appreciates if someone helps them without asking, but some will hate you for that because they don't want to lose their last bit of independency. It's a small line, and it's better to step over that line instead of never trying to help them.

Originally posted by Johannes Wagner:

(…) most of them really appreciates if someone helps them without asking, but some will hate you for that because they don't want to lose their last bit of independency. It's a small line, and it's better to step over that line instead of never trying to help them.

I'm going to disagree - we should never assume that help is needed (or wanted). You aren't in their shoes and don't really know the extent of their limits or capabilities. It's far better to ask if someone needs assistance than to simply run over them and just assume you know what's in their best interest.

Remember that you're dealing with a person, not just a disability. They aren't a problem to be “fixed” like not having enough chairs is, and no two people's ailments will be handled the same way.

Edited Rebecca Lawrence (March 16, 2015 11:24:48 AM)

Well, that was my experience with a real big group of them (disabled persons)
It's not like you don't get to know them when your mother is one of them :)

Originally posted by Johannes Wagner:

Well, that was my experience with a real big group of them (disabled persons)
It's not like you don't get to know them when your mother is one of them :)

My significant other is disabled, and their view point, as well as the view point of their other disabled friends, is that they want their personal space. They appreciate help when they want the help, but find it offensive when people insist their help upon them.

It is definitely in the best interest to offer, and not assume.

Originally posted by Johannes Wagner:

Well, that was my experience with a real big group of them (disabled persons)
It's not like you don't get to know them when your mother is one of them :)

What I'm saying is that you can't “template” how you interact with your mother and assume that's how all differently-abled persons want to be treated. It's great if the cases you've encountered so far have been positive, but it's really dangerous to simply swoop in and assume you know what's going on/what the person needs. People handle their ailments in different ways and it's much better to let them set the pace and tone for how they engage with event staff to make sure they are able to participate effectively.

This isn't to say not to be attentive to a player who comes in on crutches or what have you; it's worth having the conversation to find out if there is anything you can do to improve the tournament experience for that person. But don't look at it as “this person needs XYZ” and rush to deliver that without interacting with the person first - to do otherwise is putting their disability before their persona.