folks, do not @ me in any more discussions along the lines of “what can we do as a community to help @ravelry?”. because i’ve had it.

i have tried. i have filled out every survey, even the latest one that made me ill because it included screenshot after screenshot of every new-look element that triggers migraines for me. i have posted on twitter & instagram.

i have sent them an epic email outlining in detail all the elements of the new look that i’m struggling with and explaining why they are triggering health problems for me & other users. (i don’t expect a reply because so far, nobody else has had one).

any posts in the main Rav forums about accessibility are being locked and archived; some are being deleted & the posters banned. these posts have not been abusive or hostile, just people offering advice and asking for answers.

(as a sidebar, i am still able to access “classic” Rav; i know many people aren’t. i’m not getting into that here except to say that if disabled and/or neurodivergent people are telling me they’re experiencing issues, i believe them, even if i’m not personally affected).

it’s been a month. so far, Rav’s response has been to ask us to take surveys, offer minor cosmetic tweaks to the new look, offer the “classic” Rav as an opt-in (so you still need to get through the new-look site to turn it on), & delete or lock posts asking for more information.

i’ve been a Rav member since june 2007 and it has always felt like a community. i spent so much time adding yarns & patterns to the database. i donated to fundraisers for new & bigger servers. i set up a monthly donation because i was so grateful for the community i found in Rav.

but now, many of us are locked out of the community WE HELPED BUILD, and our requests for help and access are not getting any response from the Rav team. so don’t dare tell me i should be “helping” Rav or that we all need to “come together as a community” to fix this.

i would love it if Rav fixed the problems with access for disabled & neurodivergent folx. i love Rav & want it to succeed. i desperately miss the community that i was part of there. but this is not my problem to fix. and this doesn’t feel like a community that values me anymore.