Creating Access

In order for me to visit a community and do my work there, I need my sponsors to take my access needs very seriously and make sure they can offer housing, work venues and food that are accessible to me.  
I have a questionnaire for potential hosts that will help me determine whether a site is suitable for me or not.  The main barriers to housing for me are mold, detergent, fragrance, and and natural gas. 

• ​I become very ill when exposed to mold and mildew. Often people living in moldy houses grow accustomed to the smell and can't tell their homes are inaccessible, so someone sensitive to mold needs to sniff-test anyplace I would consider staying in. Air conditioners whose filters haven't been cleaned or replaced often harbor mold.  In hot weather, I prefer to use fans. 
• Laundry detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheet chemicals are highly toxic and can cause me significant neurological problems and painful inflammation of my joints and muscles.  These products are designed to stick to fabric and won't come out by just washing bedding in plain water or one round of unscented detergent.  They also stick to mattresses. This means that a household that has been using scented products on a regular basis  would need to put some time and effort into a detox protocol, to make sure the bed they offer me does't make me sick.  At a minimum, it would mean multiple washings of sheets and pillowcases with an approved detergent, baking soda, and vinegar. 
• Incense, scented candles and strongly scented fragrances in personal products, including some essentials oils, all affect my nervous system with symptoms that include dizziness, foggy thinking, and difficulty speaking and coordinating my limbs.  
• Open gas heaters, were there's an open flame in the room, or forced air heaters that blow heated air through registers in the floor or wall, both expose me to things that make it hard for me to breathe.  Radiators, space heaters, wood stoves and some kinds of furnace heat all work better.   

FOOD
 I have a very restricted diet that changes depending on my health.  Sponsors need to plan meals well in advance and when catering meals or holding them in restaurants, need to do the research to make sure I can eat there, not expect me to do so myself, especially at the last minute.  People unfamiliar with the range of dietary needs assume that this means I'm vegetarian or vegan, when in fact I require animal protein and extremely low carb meals.  For details, see the document; Care and Feeding of Aurora