Assistive listening devices charged and working at every theater with staff who can explain how to use them? Hearing loops in an elevator? At the box office? In every taxicab? Captioned announcements on public transportation?
Does this sound like a dream come true? Then head to London! Access for people with hearing loss is widespread.
Hearing Loss Access Widespread in London Theaters
I was lucky to visit London recently as part of a theater group trip. It was incredible! We enjoyed four plays in 3 days which gave me ample opportunity to sample the assistive listening devices available on the West End.
Providing listening assistance is fairly standard in New York theaters, but in London, the execution was notably better. All the theaters I visited had induction loop systems installed and provided headsets so anyone could connect to the loop regardless of their t-coil status.
All assistive listening devices were fully charged and ready to go. The attendant even checked the battery level before handing me the device. Getting a device was easy, with only a name and mobile number needed at pickup. This made the headsets quicker to return at the end of the show too.
The staff was knowledgeable about how the devices worked, providing useful information and responding to questions in a kind and helpful manner. Easy peasy. And most importantly, the devices worked!
Notable too was the number of open-captioned theater performances scheduled for when I was there. I enjoyed two open-captioned performances on my last trip to London several years ago. Even though I was American, it was easy to sign up for the hearing access program at each theater so I could buy discounted tickets in the open-captioned area. View the current list of open-captioned shows here.
Hearing Access Easier to Find Other Places Too
Outside the theater, hearing access was plentiful too. All taxis were looped, as were most museum counters and information booths.
Even some of the elevators! I had never seen that before, but it got me thinking. Imagine getting stuck in the lift but being unable to communicate with your rescuers because you could not hear them. Scary!
Captioned announcements were also plentiful on public transport. Here is a photo I took on the London Underground. Visual cues like these made it easier for me to navigate because I always knew where I was along the route and what stop was coming next.
Captioned transportation announcements, even if only for pre-recorded content, are a terrific example of universal design. The visual information benefits all travelers, not just those who need assistance with accessibility.
Much Still to Learn about Equal Access in America
Seeing what is so readily available across the pond leaves me yearning for better communication access here in the United States. Advocates continue to fight for hearing loops in public spaces and visual displays for announcements at airports and other transportation hubs. But it is often slow going. While the ADA mandates equal access for people with hearing loss, often the practice falls short.
Let’s do better.
Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her book, Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues. Connect with Shari: Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
