We had fun experimenting with our first PTerry’s event! Many questions and curious inquiries were arisen, and probably some puzzled looks. What I love about our PT speaking community is who uses PT knows that we have to break away from the norms. Newbies may feel confused but still made an effort!.
First, a little bit of history on PTerry’s. It has nothing to do with protactile, it is a classic burger stand, established in Austin, TX in 2005. It has a simple menu: burgers, fries, shakes. Founder’s name is Patrick Terry, and friends call him P.. so hence, PTerry’s! Today, there are twenty-six Austin-based locations, according to its website.
Thanks to our PT fairy for bringing community ideas to me, and we decided it was trendy to have Protactile at PTerry’s!
Moreover, only a few locations has an indoors option- and knowing the risks of erratic weather patterns here in Texas during the winter times, we wanted to start with an indoors location.
Ultimately, the pull to this was it being PT at PTerry’s and then its simple menu is the next criteria that is checked off. Less is more, especially when hosting such PT events- unless if it has a different purpose.
When we came early to prepare for this event, we had a plan in our mind. Choose a section of the indoors space to take over. Typically, people who are sighted would have gone for the bigger space- which was on our left- which has a narrow path to a much bigger space with many tables and seats. We chose the opposite, on our right upon entering the doors. Why, you may ask?
On the right, there were two tables against the wall, and if we walk past those tables, we arrive at two different options. By gliding our hand around backing of the last table on right’s booth seating, it flows to the next contactable information which is a wall that becomes a narrow hallway! When we continue to glide down that wall, there are bathrooms on our right side. The hallway ends, and if we were to continue to glide the same direction, we follow the wall which takes us to the other side. That other side, when gliding down that wall, it takes us to the ordering counter.
If we walk past the tables recently mentioned, and arrive at that split, when we turn left, there is a great long tactile marker- which I could describe it as a semi wall, at height of our chests at the opposite of the ordering counter.
When we are ready to order, we had a co-navigator that stayed mostly at the ordering counter. The goal was to share some PT langauge, experience some co-navigation, and co-presence through ordering. When done ordering, we can touch that semi-wall to go back to the section.
When gliding down that section, and it ends we turn right, where we pass the trash and recycle bins and their top cover. If we continue to glide down that way, it turns right, and there is a tactile marker that consists of a corner from the semi wall lining, and it prompts us to know that if we turn at that corner with our back on it- we have additional table and seats few feet in front of us.
If we turn right from that point, we arrive to the same entrance doors following the wall. Everything we need is together in one place, making contact with environment and people that hang in our section. Bump-ability, as said by the author, John Lee Clark, is the key.
It is also important to note that we chose tables near the door, so that when the door closes/opens as people enter and leave, we can feel it too. We get that infomration at the same tijme as others normally would at PTerry’s. The key is to be able to bump into each other, and find each other, also be able to go as we please.
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