Online events must be accessible to deaf audiences, charity urges

Online arts events must be made accessible to deaf and hearing impaired audiences as the second lockdown continues, a charity has urged.

Stagetext provides captioning and live subtitling in theatres and other cultural venues. It says it is concerned for the mental health of 12 million d/Deaf and hard of hearing Britons after figures released in the summer showed these communities were 45% more likely to feel lonely.

Stagetext has seen a 110% increase for subtitled events since April but says more must be done during these challenging times.

About 18% of UK adults have hearing loss, yet fewer than 1% are fluent in British Sign Language.

"We take for granted that most of us are able to enjoy incredible performances and exhibitions, even during a lockdown," Stagetext Chief Executive Melanie Sharpe commented.