Emily Webster, a final year student at Sheffield Hallam University is writing a dissertation project on whether adjustments in place for deaf and hard of hearing people are adequate at events and entertainment venues.
Emily, who has a genetic degenerative hearing impairment, is basing her dissertation on her own experiences as a service user and employee and explains “The inspiration behind this is the terrible service I have received as a customer. For example I was sent to the first aid area at Birmingham NEC for a hearing loop then had to walk around the venue for thirty minutes until I found the right department and when I got to my seat it did not even work.
When I worked at the theatres in Chesterfield the loop did not work. When I’d received a customer complaint and passed it to my manager I was told the loop was working because the light on the machines was ‘on’. It was later proved to be faulty.
“These situations, Emily says, are neither legal or acceptable and I believe that if other people have had similar experiences then this shows that the legislation is not working. Therefore I hope to get as many responses as possible to the questionnaire below. If these results do show a negative result I am intending to take them to my MP to attempt to instigate change to the laws.Please can you help me by filling in my questionnaire and share it with any friends or family in the deaf community.”
You can contact Emily if you require any additional information by emailing her at b2015687@my.shu.ac.uk
