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Post by lemur on May 26, 2023 18:59:08 GMT
Hi all  There doesn't seem to be any dedicated threads for us Disabled theatregoers (though I don't know how many of us there are!) so I thought I would start one, given that accessibility in theatres can be a... wide spectrum, to say the least. Intended to talk about any issues regarding disability and access needs at the theatre and beyond. Feel free to introduce yourself and join in, including allies. A few issues I can think of that disabled people face at the theatre are, but not limited to: -Disabled parking and transportation issues -Lack of or infrequent Accessible performances (BSL Interpreted, Captioned, Audio Described and Relaxed) -May face extra costs to bring a carer or personal assistant (many offer these free of charge now, though) -Many theatres not fully suitable for Wheelchairs, and those that 'are' are still limited -Disabled toilets can be sometimes found out of action or blocked in, and some not even fully accessible -Thankfully rare, but still stigma, discrimination and being patronised by other theatregoers or even staff -Difficult to find information about accessibility on certain shows' websites and social media -Limited means of booking tickets - many theatres only allow you to book over phone which indirectly discriminates those who may have issues on the phone (e.g anxiety, hearing loss) -'Funky' fonts on show websites can't be translated well into text-to-speak technology And that doesn't even cover issues faced by disabled staff and performers. I am hoping we can all discuss our own experiences and solutions we have found. Theatres have a legal obligation to provide equal services or make reasonable adjustments when required under UK law. This is my first thread and apologies if I have done anything wrong or if this is not a suitable topic for discussion. To start off, I am autistic and have APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) and I have started to rely on Captioned performances (though I haven't actually managed to get myself to one yet) as I've started finding understanding what's being said difficult. While I'm grateful that some (not all) productions offer these accessible performances, they're incredibly infrequent, for most shows only around 3-4 performances (for Captioned anyway) each year. Does anyone else go to these, and if so what are your experiences? There are also many shows I want to see that don't offer these performances, and when I've asked about it I just get half-hearted apologies or told they're being 'planned' which doesn't really help. What do you all think? |
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Post by nick on May 28, 2023 7:06:20 GMT
My wife is a wheelchair user (not full time thankfully) with a Blue Badge. Both her and my son are autistic. We feel quite lucky because things are so much better than they used to be.
I find that we put an awful lot of planning into trips to make them happen. Check out the theatre website for access details, usually check out Theatre Monkey site (as she needs to be seated looking to the left and not the right), phoning to book instead of booking online, checking out parking in the area, transporting the wheelchair and various cushions, arriving early for toilet trips and to reduce anxiety (for me as much as her!), checking how the chair will be looked after during the show (she usually transfers to a seat).
There cannot be spontaneity for theatre trips. Mind you that's probably true for most people these days.
On the other hand there are positives. The Blue Badge is such a boon - we used the tube for a while but it was a nightmare for a wheelchair. Now we can go in to London and usually park close by. Sometimes I can go for free as her carer. We often get to interact with staff and they're usually lovely people.
For us though theatre trips are special and exhausting. As young people we would go to the theatre perhaps every fortnight or so but that has changed. We really have to want to see the show to use our energy to arrange it.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 28, 2023 7:58:17 GMT
Any very good theatres you look forward to visiting? Have you ever received really good service?
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Post by crowblack on May 28, 2023 8:41:31 GMT
Manchester's Royal Exchange did have a photo guide to coming into the building but I can't find that on the website any more. That was useful - in fact it would be helpful if more theatres could put walk in / arrival / using the building videos on their websites.
Another issue is flagging up intervals / play length - many people for various reasons find sitting for a long period uncomfortable. If some director thinks the artistic integrity of the play requires an unbroken 2 hours plus, then a pauseable streaming or access / interval performance should be made available too.
Relevant to all theatre users but particularly those with mobility issues is end times: if it's an unusually long show, please bring the start time forward as getting to the last train, getting out of the building takes longer for us.
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Post by danb on May 28, 2023 9:55:33 GMT
My wife has a blue badge for her crappy arthritic knees (now replaced). The only time we’ve used it for theatre is
‘& Juliet’ at the Shaftesbury. I think the tickets were half price, there were a variety of different locations dotted around the auditorium and the theatre staff were lovely; even popping in to our box at interval to check she was ok. I’m pretty sure I booked them online.
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Post by alece10 on May 28, 2023 10:31:31 GMT
Any very good theatres you look forward to visiting? Have you ever received really good service? LW Theatres are all excellent and I've written to them several times after a visit to complement the access staff. |
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Post by michaell8 on May 28, 2023 17:48:26 GMT
Hi all There doesn't seem to be any dedicated threads for us Disabled theatregoers (though I don't know how many of us there are!) so I thought I would start one, given that accessibility in theatres can be a... wide spectrum, to say the least. Intended to talk about any issues regarding disability and access needs at the theatre and beyond. Feel free to introduce yourself and join in, including allies. A few issues I can think of that disabled people face at the theatre are, but not limited to: -Disabled parking and transportation issues -Lack of or infrequent Accessible performances (BSL Interpreted, Captioned, Audio Described and Relaxed) -May face extra costs to bring a carer or personal assistant (many offer these free of charge now, though) -Many theatres not fully suitable for Wheelchairs, and those that 'are' are still limited -Disabled toilets can be sometimes found out of action or blocked in, and some not even fully accessible -Thankfully rare, but still stigma, discrimination and being patronised by other theatregoers or even staff -Difficult to find information about accessibility on certain shows' websites and social media -Limited means of booking tickets - many theatres only allow you to book over phone which indirectly discriminates those who may have issues on the phone (e.g anxiety, hearing loss) -'Funky' fonts on show websites can't be translated well into text-to-speak technology And that doesn't even cover issues faced by disabled staff and performers. I am hoping we can all discuss our own experiences and solutions we have found. Theatres have a legal obligation to provide equal services or make reasonable adjustments when required under UK law. This is my first thread and apologies if I have done anything wrong or if this is not a suitable topic for discussion. To start off, I am autistic and have APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) and I have started to rely on Captioned performances (though I haven't actually managed to get myself to one yet) as I've started finding understanding what's being said difficult. While I'm grateful that some (not all) productions offer these accessible performances, they're incredibly infrequent, for most shows only around 3-4 performances (for Captioned anyway) each year. Does anyone else go to these, and if so what are your experiences? There are also many shows I want to see that don't offer these performances, and when I've asked about it I just get half-hearted apologies or told they're being 'planned' which doesn't really help. What do you all think? Hello Lemur ! What a good idea to start this thread I had one question when you mention being "patronised" by other theatregoers I am not disabled myself but have on occasion for example asked a man in a wheelchair who was on the pavement stopped by the kerb if he was Ok. He said Yes. Similarly a lady with a guide dog standing near the barriers at a tube station - I asked if she was OK and she told me she was hoping to find the TFL staff member. I was very happy to help her by going to find the staff member and alerting him that there was someone who needed assistance. In situations like these, I am always wary of appearing "patronising", although I say to myself I would rather hear "no I'm fine thanks" and be thought of as being patronising, than walking on by and not offering any help and the person actually really needed someone to help them (cross the road without a dropped kerb, for example). Please can you tell me if my thought process is sensible ? I enjoy helping people and the last thing I would want to do is to offend someone inadvertently so I hope that if someone is disabled they know I am just offering help rather than being patronising or offensive. Please let me know!  |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 28, 2023 19:02:57 GMT
I went to an audio described performance at the Royal Exchange recently as my pal is SSI (severely sight impaired). The staff we encountered were fantastic and the description was (he said) great. The woman doing the description even came to find us in the interval to check that everything was ok. We were even moved from our booked seats to ones that were nearer to the stage. We felt pretty spoiled actually which he was impressed with as a non theatre goer.
Interesting how even with that much thought and effort going into it there are still things that are overlooked. When we went into the auditorium a FOH was obviously expecting us and offered the seat change. We had to go to a different section which my pal found very difficult to negotiate because the house lights were so low. It was a performance for people with a visual impairment and the house lights were too low for people with low vision to find their seats. .It felt a bit churlish to contact them about this given the rest of the experience was so great but we did because if you don’t speak up how will they know for the next time?
It was deffo a 9/10 effort though.
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Post by lemur on May 28, 2023 19:41:11 GMT
Hi all There doesn't seem to be any dedicated threads for us Disabled theatregoers (though I don't know how many of us there are!) so I thought I would start one, given that accessibility in theatres can be a... wide spectrum, to say the least. Intended to talk about any issues regarding disability and access needs at the theatre and beyond. Feel free to introduce yourself and join in, including allies. A few issues I can think of that disabled people face at the theatre are, but not limited to: -Disabled parking and transportation issues -Lack of or infrequent Accessible performances (BSL Interpreted, Captioned, Audio Described and Relaxed) -May face extra costs to bring a carer or personal assistant (many offer these free of charge now, though) -Many theatres not fully suitable for Wheelchairs, and those that 'are' are still limited -Disabled toilets can be sometimes found out of action or blocked in, and some not even fully accessible -Thankfully rare, but still stigma, discrimination and being patronised by other theatregoers or even staff -Difficult to find information about accessibility on certain shows' websites and social media -Limited means of booking tickets - many theatres only allow you to book over phone which indirectly discriminates those who may have issues on the phone (e.g anxiety, hearing loss) -'Funky' fonts on show websites can't be translated well into text-to-speak technology And that doesn't even cover issues faced by disabled staff and performers. I am hoping we can all discuss our own experiences and solutions we have found. Theatres have a legal obligation to provide equal services or make reasonable adjustments when required under UK law. This is my first thread and apologies if I have done anything wrong or if this is not a suitable topic for discussion. To start off, I am autistic and have APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) and I have started to rely on Captioned performances (though I haven't actually managed to get myself to one yet) as I've started finding understanding what's being said difficult. While I'm grateful that some (not all) productions offer these accessible performances, they're incredibly infrequent, for most shows only around 3-4 performances (for Captioned anyway) each year. Does anyone else go to these, and if so what are your experiences? There are also many shows I want to see that don't offer these performances, and when I've asked about it I just get half-hearted apologies or told they're being 'planned' which doesn't really help. What do you all think? Hello Lemur ! What a good idea to start this thread I had one question when you mention being "patronised" by other theatregoers I am not disabled myself but have on occasion for example asked a man in a wheelchair who was on the pavement stopped by the kerb if he was Ok. He said Yes. Similarly a lady with a guide dog standing near the barriers at a tube station - I asked if she was OK and she told me she was hoping to find the TFL staff member. I was very happy to help her by going to find the staff member and alerting him that there was someone who needed assistance. In situations like these, I am always wary of appearing "patronising", although I say to myself I would rather hear "no I'm fine thanks" and be thought of as being patronising, than walking on by and not offering any help and the person actually really needed someone to help them (cross the road without a dropped kerb, for example). Please can you tell me if my thought process is sensible ? I enjoy helping people and the last thing I would want to do is to offend someone inadvertently so I hope that if someone is disabled they know I am just offering help rather than being patronising or offensive. Please let me know! This is just in my personal experience and different for everyone: For me, it's more when I get a bit overwhelmed (occasionally in theatres, only at interval when it gets very noisy and everyone moves around) and start fidgeting, shaking and unfortunately involuntary facial grimaces, I'm aware some people have looked at me with a look that reads to me as 'why is she here and doing that'. Fortunately rare but happens, I know people will naturally be curious but sometimes it's like I'm the theatre performance lol. There was an incident years ago which I felt wasn't handled as best as it could be - a friend (trusted to be my personal carer if things went wrong) and I went to see Hamilton. As I was the lead customer I had my ID to show FOH, and my friend didn't as only the lead customer needed ID at the time. However, we were pulled aside and my friend was suddenly asked to show ID. I explained no, she was not lead customer and didn't make the booking but nothing was really said about that. After a while as I got increasingly overwhelmed and stressed being put on the spot on show of everyone else arriving we were let into the theatre. Because I was told nothing about why they did this and no apology, I slightly suspected it was because I was disabled and god forbid I was the lead and booked tickets, but could be wrong lol. Like I said, the half-hearted apologies for lack of access performances are what really annoys me. I don't know if I'm being sensitive, but I was told ', there aren't any planned, sorry for the inconvenience' when asked when the next will be. But to me, it's more of an inconvenience, I simply can't go to something many others enjoy and rave about. It sounded as if it was just trivialising it - I know they might not have meant it but that is how some theatres see access, just a trivial matter. I appreciate your consideration and I don't think you were patronising at all. Obviously I can't speak for every disabled person, but I can tell when someone genuinely cares and wants to help which the majority of people do. We do need people like yourself looking out for us and being our ally as we are sometimes forgotten, so thank you! (Sorry if that above is jumbled and makes no sense I have had a long and loud day  ) |
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Post by viserys on Jun 2, 2023 5:55:42 GMT
Ah, my kind of thread! I am hearing impaired and since I have discovered the magic of captioned performances, have pretty much given up on trying to see straight plays without them as they make a world of difference. With musicals it's not quite so bad, as there's usually a cast recording that helps me to familiarize myself with the lyrics ahead of seeing something or when it's based on a movie as it so often is these days, I can go in knowing the general plot. Access in the UK is generally a whole lot better than here in Germany, where "assisted performances" don't exist at all, so I feel bad about complaining, but I think there could be room for improvement. As I have to travel from Germany, I can't be in London as often as I want and even if I am able to build one trip around a captioned performance for something I want to see, I always have to compromise. So more captioned performances would be great. Or... I have greatly come to admire the closed captioned system they use on Broadway. Before the show you can get a little handheld device, the size of a phone and it will deliver your personal captions throughout the show. They are available at most Broadway shows, so they open up performances ALOT for me. There's also an app called GalaPro that works similarly for your own phone, though the one time I tried that, it didn't work. Maybe it has improved by now and I think it would be a great alternative for London, if the classic CC system from Broadway would be too expensive to introduce. Another thing that really annoys me is that ATG has basically scrapped the Access seats in the front stalls for all their London theatres that enable deaf/hard of hearing and sight impaired people to sit close to the stage at a reasonable price. It's only a few seats per performance, so surely it can't make a big dent in their takings. PS: lemur - fully agree on how obnoxious it is that they make you call for Access tickets - if I could easily pick up the phone to make phone calls I wouldn't be needing Access tickets in the first place. The argument given is usually that they don't want you to submit payment details by email, but surely there must be a work around. Luckily I have a wonderful friend in the UK, who does the phone calls for me/us and joins me on the companion ticket to be my ears. Between having learned about the Access system in itself and her help with tickets, my theatre going in London has vastly improved in the last years. |
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Post by dippy on Jun 2, 2023 7:01:07 GMT
viserys I'm wondering, are the smart caption glasses they have at the National something you think all theatres should move towards having? Is it strange having the words right in front of your eyes? My mum watched something at the National recently and not being English she often has trouble understanding everything, especially if they have strong accents, she decided to just read the play in advance but I'm wondering if they are good? Also in terms of captioning there's someone there putting the lines of the script up as the production happens, any idea how that works at the National? Is there someone there doing it for every performance or is it programed? I have often enjoyed accidentally booking for a captioned performance, it's fun watching the differences between what's said on stage and what's written.
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Post by viserys on Jun 2, 2023 7:08:59 GMT
I have only had the chance to use the National's smart caption glasses once and it has pros and cons, but overall I LOVED them.
The biggest pro: The captions appear directly below the performers or above their heads (depending on how you hold your head at that moment), so your eyes don't need to dart between performers on stage and the caption screens on the sides (which depending on their exact position can be really annoying). I really loved that, it had a bit of a comic book feel with "speech bubbles" appearing right above the performers. You can also adjust the size and color of the captions to your liking.
The con for me personally: As my eyesight isn't what it was, I need normal glasses to watch things on stage properly and the smart glasses press onto those, so for a while I worried about getting a headache from the pressure and was relieved when the interval came and I could take the smart glasses off for a while. That may be a personal thing though (and won't affect those not needing normal glasses).
The bigger con would probably be their cost, but if theatres could afford them or get subsidies for them, I'd be all for them, as they are definitely better than the little handheld caption screens from Broadway, which still require you to keep looking between them and the performers.
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Post by dippy on Jun 2, 2023 8:16:04 GMT
Thanks for the info, that was really interesting. I can imagine that having the words right there where you're already looking is definitely a better option than having to look down/to the side. Like you say I'm sure it's very expensive though.
Annoying they pushed against your glasses and they weren't that comfortable.
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Post by og on Jun 2, 2023 8:32:14 GMT
Shout out to ATG staff at Harold Pinter yesterday who had to interject on a large queue of women waiting to use the disabled loo in the lobby who wouldn't let a disabled person ahead of them. Their position was they didn't want to use the other two Female toilets as the queues were too long and had been queueing here so should be next. Staff rightfully, imo, interjected.
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Post by Dave B on Jun 2, 2023 9:01:46 GMT
. Or... I have greatly come to admire the closed captioned system they use on Broadway. Before the show you can get a little handheld device, the size of a phone and it will deliver your personal captions throughout the show. They are available at most Broadway shows, so they open up performances ALOT for me. There's also an app called GalaPro that works similarly for your own phone, though the one time I tried that, it didn't work. Maybe it has improved by now and I think it would be a great alternative for London, if the classic CC system from Broadway would be too expensive to introduce. GalaPro started a rollout in London earlier this year with a couple of shows having it available now and more, supposedly, to follow.
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Post by lemur on Jun 3, 2023 15:01:13 GMT
Ah, my kind of thread! I am hearing impaired and since I have discovered the magic of captioned performances, have pretty much given up on trying to see straight plays without them as they make a world of difference. With musicals it's not quite so bad, as there's usually a cast recording that helps me to familiarize myself with the lyrics ahead of seeing something or when it's based on a movie as it so often is these days, I can go in knowing the general plot. Access in the UK is generally a whole lot better than here in Germany, where "assisted performances" don't exist at all, so I feel bad about complaining, but I think there could be room for improvement. As I have to travel from Germany, I can't be in London as often as I want and even if I am able to build one trip around a captioned performance for something I want to see, I always have to compromise. So more captioned performances would be great. Or... I have greatly come to admire the closed captioned system they use on Broadway. Before the show you can get a little handheld device, the size of a phone and it will deliver your personal captions throughout the show. They are available at most Broadway shows, so they open up performances ALOT for me. There's also an app called GalaPro that works similarly for your own phone, though the one time I tried that, it didn't work. Maybe it has improved by now and I think it would be a great alternative for London, if the classic CC system from Broadway would be too expensive to introduce. Another thing that really annoys me is that ATG has basically scrapped the Access seats in the front stalls for all their London theatres that enable deaf/hard of hearing and sight impaired people to sit close to the stage at a reasonable price. It's only a few seats per performance, so surely it can't make a big dent in their takings. PS: lemur - fully agree on how obnoxious it is that they make you call for Access tickets - if I could easily pick up the phone to make phone calls I wouldn't be needing Access tickets in the first place. The argument given is usually that they don't want you to submit payment details by email, but surely there must be a work around. Luckily I have a wonderful friend in the UK, who does the phone calls for me/us and joins me on the companion ticket to be my ears. Between having learned about the Access system in itself and her help with tickets, my theatre going in London has vastly improved in the last years. Fully agree with all you're saying - I don't like complaining, especially since it could be worse, but surely we should be able to see shows too? I would love if access performances were more regular, maybe like an access show once a week (alternating between Captioned, Signed, Audio-Described and Relaxed) so far more choice than just 2 or 3 a year. I like the sound of GalaPro and the Broadway system but I'm hesitant on pinning all my hopes on it, given it won't work for everyone and every device. I worry about it disturbing others and I don't want to get verbally abused for it (anyone remember the Hadestown incident a while back?). Talking of Hadestown, I just booked tickets for next year in London. I would have waited for the cast announcement, but when there's only two shows available to you then you want to get good tickets as early as you can. I have to say while I was disappointed you couldn't book online, I was very pleased with the following: - Access customers were included in the presale by opening the access phone and email line. I had to email to find out, but at least they did this given that many don't bother and let disabled people wait even if they signed up to book early. - Very quick to respond to my emails, took minutes instead of days. Very polite and professional. - Explained what I wanted and was reserved seats with the best view of the Captions. They allowed me to get a carer/personal assistant ticket so I wouldn't have to pay for another person out of my own purse. - What surprised me most - I asked about what proof/documents they wanted and turns out it was not even needed! I'm guessing they will want to see it on the day so will bring it with me but it's nice to not be demanded for it for a change, makes me feel like everybody else. It sounds like it will be great for those still waiting for diagnosis. I can sometimes use the phone but I always warn them saying I will probably ask you to repeat yourself many times, but my family are kind enough to ring on my behalf if necessary. Thankfully booking access online seems to be more common now! |
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Post by viserys on Jun 3, 2023 16:37:33 GMT
I worry about it disturbing others and I don't want to get verbally abused for it (anyone remember the Hadestown incident a while back?). I think that "drama" was blown way out of proportion and generally performers are aware of the existence of these handheld thingies (and they can't really be mistaken for smartphones). That said, I find them more useful for sitting in the dress circle anyway, so they match your sightline better than having to keep looking up and down between stage and device in the stalls. Here's what it looks like (and size in proportion to the playbill)  - Access customers were included in the presale by opening the access phone and email line. I had to email to find out, but at least they did this given that many don't bother and let disabled people wait even if they signed up to book early. I'm sorry you had to email them - I find that whenever I've signed up for a presale, I can just have my friend phone the box office that day, explain the situation and get Access tickets. In Hadestown's case it was extra easy because I know the Lyric Theatre has two Access seats in Row C of the stalls (I booked them for the Marley Musical and for Aspects), so when I saw those weren't available to book in the presale, I poked my friend to phone Nimax and she got them for us. - What surprised me most - I asked about what proof/documents they wanted and turns out it was not even needed! I'm guessing they will want to see it on the day so will bring it with me but it's nice to not be demanded for it for a change, makes me feel like everybody else. It sounds like it will be great for those still waiting for diagnosis. Honestly, I prefer being asked for proof or register as an Access client as it makes me feel more at ease to be able to prove that I DO need the Access benefits rather than just pretend. They probably trust in people's integrity, but I generally don't. And if too many people abuse the system, they might cut down on Access seats/discounts - as has already happened with ATG. |
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Post by nick on Jun 3, 2023 17:07:44 GMT
I think asking for proof may be discriminatory in law. The legal definition of disabled is " physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day- to-day activities." and it is perfectly possible to fit the bill without actually holding any proof.
How do you prove disability? Blue Badge? PIP or other benefit? Doctors letters? Not everyone has the first two and Doctors letters can be embarrassing and confidential.
I can't remember ever being asked by a theatre but then my wife turning up in a wheelchair usually gives it away.
The system is open to abuse. Just buy a wheelchair and enjoy the benefits. Not likely to happen.
On a related note, my wife has a fully trained official assistance dog and, again, it is discriminatory to ask for proof. So it is possible to buy an assistance dog coat for your pooch and swan in to Ikea (We wouldn't take him to the theatre - not fair on him).
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Post by viserys on Jun 3, 2023 17:28:46 GMT
How do you prove disability? Blue Badge? PIP or other benefit? Doctors letters? Not everyone has the first two and Doctors letters can be embarrassing and confidential. Here in Germany you get a special "ID" with your photo and some other data along with just how bad your disability is and to what kind of help this entitles you. For example, mine states that I have 70% hearing loss (which was once officially determined by the right office). I can book tickets for theatres, sports stuff etc with an Acccess discount and when you enter the venue, you need to show that ID to prove your entitlement. Well, theatres actually rarely check, but the football stadium ALWAYS demands proof (probably because it's more liable to being abused, dunno). When I applied for Access discounts in London, the German ID has always been accepted for proof too. |
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Post by lemur on Jun 3, 2023 17:40:50 GMT
I worry about it disturbing others and I don't want to get verbally abused for it (anyone remember the Hadestown incident a while back?). I think that "drama" was blown way out of proportion and generally performers are aware of the existence of these handheld thingies (and they can't really be mistaken for smartphones). That said, I find them more useful for sitting in the dress circle anyway, so they match your sightline better than having to keep looking up and down between stage and device in the stalls. Here's what it looks like (and size in proportion to the playbill) Thank you for that picture! Good to see a visual example. I've been thinking of going to see Frozen and try out GalaPro there. I went to a regular performance last year, couldn't understand a word of what was said on stage (though chattering kids and adults and rustling didn't help). There is a Captioned performance in August but I don't fancy the shrill warbling of children singing along. Has anyone been to a Captioned performance that was treated as a sing along, and if so did staff intervene? |
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Post by nick on Jun 4, 2023 8:45:33 GMT
Here in Germany you get a special "ID" with your photo and some other data along with just how bad your disability is and to what kind of help this entitles you. For example, mine states that I have 70% hearing loss (which was once officially determined by the right office). I can book tickets for theatres, sports stuff etc with an Acccess discount and when you enter the venue, you need to show that ID to prove your entitlement. Well, theatres actually rarely check, but the football stadium ALWAYS demands proof (probably because it's more liable to being abused, dunno). When I applied for Access discounts in London, the German ID has always been accepted for proof too. Ah well we’re not so keen on ID cards in the uk. Is that issued by a doctor? Ah you say “office” I guess using doctors letters? Our “office”, the DWP, has such a terrible reputation they really really wouldn’t be trusted to do it correctly. There’s an interesting debate between personal freedom and stopping illegal/dubious activity. I fall on the personal freedom side myself. Been quite a conversation here recently with the new requirement for identification to vote. |
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Post by viserys on Jun 4, 2023 9:42:58 GMT
Ah well we’re not so keen on ID cards in the uk. Is that issued by a doctor? Ah you say “office” I guess using doctors letters? Our “office”, the DWP, has such a terrible reputation they really really wouldn’t be trusted to do it correctly. Well, Germany LOVES bureaucracy and officialdom. Looking it up, yes, it's the German equivalent of your DWP (Versorgungsamt) who issues the ID. I had to make an appointment there for a hearing test which determined how bad my hearing was and then got issued my ID that confirmed 70% deafness. Each ID has a few symbols stating what kind of entitlements you get - for me, the biggest relief is that I only pay one third of Germany's vastly overpriced idiotic TV license per year (used to be fully free even, but at some point they realized that deaf/HoH still benefit from the smattering of subtitles they grant us). Others can use public transport for free or can take a free companion everywhere, etc. Apart from the TV license my main benefit is indeed reduced prices for all sorts of events. But honestly, I'd rather pay full price for a musical here that was offering captions than the reduced price for something I can barely follow. The absolute lack of captions for live entertainment, combined with Germany's idiot obsession with dubbing foreign movies rather than showing original versions with subtitles, means that there's still very limited accessibility for deaf/HoH people. I'm lucky in that I live in a big city where two cinemas DO show original versions (but only sometimes with subtitles) and not far from the Netherlands, where everything is shown OV with subtitles. Whenever I'm in London I feel like people are far more helpful and attentive in general to people with special needs, which I appreciate time and again. Staff in theatres have also been wonderfully helpful with things like those hearing loops (which don't really do much for me) or the smart glasses at the NT. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2023 21:57:08 GMT
Captioned and signed productions do seem to be increasing and it is always so tempting to glance over to the signer to see them do some of the more unique wordings.
As regarding getting the "free" seat for carers I think the theatre would ask for some confirmation as people taking advantage of this to get to see popular shows and thus denying those the spaces were meant for would be pretty low. Also those in genuine need of the facility would probably appreciate their interests being looked after. Unless the "carers" ticket was somehow distinguishable from the other tickets then anyone abusing the system might have booked months in advance and then rocks up and the staff have no idea who has booked a ticket under which pretext.
Those in the wheelchair/mobility spaces are clearly easy to identify of course.
The hand held audiable description/captioned devices are agreat idea but need to be bespoke devices as if they were onto users phones we are back in the phone useage issue.
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 10, 2023 22:29:01 GMT
Here in Germany you get a special "ID" with your photo and some other data along with just how bad your disability is and to what kind of help this entitles you. Ah well we’re not so keen on ID cards in the uk. Is that issued by a doctor? Ah you say “office” I guess using doctors letters? Our “office”, the DWP, has such a terrible reputation they really really wouldn’t be trusted to do it correctly.
Speaking on behalf of a nation is quite the presumption.
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 10, 2023 22:30:55 GMT
I think asking for proof may be discriminatory in law. I believe it depends who is doing the asking, and why.
For example, you're not going to get a railcard without proof, or a TFL card.
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Post by Dave B on Jun 10, 2023 22:47:16 GMT
Ah well we’re not so keen on ID cards in the uk. Is that issued by a doctor? Ah you say “office” I guess using doctors letters? Our “office”, the DWP, has such a terrible reputation they really really wouldn’t be trusted to do it correctly. Speaking on behalf of a nation is quite the presumption.
Ha Postie, speaking on behalf of a nation is quite the presumption 
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Post by nick on Jun 11, 2023 6:22:17 GMT
Ah well we’re not so keen on ID cards in the uk. Is that issued by a doctor? Ah you say “office” I guess using doctors letters? Our “office”, the DWP, has such a terrible reputation they really really wouldn’t be trusted to do it correctly.
Speaking on behalf of a nation is quite the presumption.
Speaking as someone who has dealt directly with the DWP on disability issues on two occasions. And has kept a keen interest on their comings and goings, they are a disgrace. People have committed suicide while trying to go through the PIP or DLA process and trying to jump the hurdles the DWP put in the way. My wife had a breakdown after 12 months of battling them. From “you deserve nothing” to an independent tribunals assessment that she should be awarded maximum for life (as it’s a lifelong condition). I will accept that things have slightly improved after a number of court cases but it’s not a good department. |
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 11, 2023 9:28:00 GMT
ID cards was the point of my reply. DWP is another discussion.
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Post by crowblack on Jun 11, 2023 9:48:34 GMT
I wish we did have ID cards in the UK - Blunkett tried to bring them in in the early 2000s but was thwarted. Almost all other European countries have them and it would be less intrusive than being asked to show the ticket office a letter detailing your health issues as I have sometimes been asked to do when going into a theatre or gallery (it would also make human trafficking and exploitation more difficult!).
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2023 13:26:28 GMT
ID cards would be opposed by Civil Liberty groups both on both extremes of the political spectrum but a huge amount of people have all their personal details on their mobiles so maybe have some app on there?
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There doesn't seem to be any dedicated threads for us Disabled theatregoers (though I don't know how many of us there are!) so I thought I would start one, given that accessibility in theatres can be a... wide spectrum, to say the least. Intended to talk about any issues regarding disability and access needs at the theatre and beyond. Feel free to introduce yourself and join in, including allies.
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