Deaf News: Subtitled events double as Captioning Awareness Week begins

The captioning charity Stagetext has reported a 110% increase in live subtitled events from April to October this year, as Captioning Awareness Week gets underway.

The organisation provided live captions to 258 online events – which include panel discussions, lectures, book talks and more – compared to 123 in-venue sessions in the same period in 2019.

Despite what it calls a “big jump” in the figures, the charity has today called on venues and performers to make sure deaf and hard of hearing people aren’t forgotten about as the industry deals with a second national lockdown.

We've all spent a great deal of time watching culture in the comfort of our homes, so this year we're celebrating all things digital and accessible to #deaf #deafened and #hoh audiences. #CAW2020 #ArmchairAccess https://t.co/D0uvRGSTyJ pic.twitter.com/XwFQeMiMJn

— Stagetext (@Stagetext) November 2, 2020

Melanie Sharpe, Chief Executive of Stagetext, said: “We are losing expertise in the arts due to the pandemic. I am concerned that once venues re-open the role of access will just be added to another existing job role.

“The very people who are being advised to consider retraining are the same ones who understand the needs of deaf audiences and know how to ensure their venues are accessible.

“We must do all we can as a sector to continue providing access for those who would otherwise be excluded,” she said.

The concerns follow data released by the Office for National Statistics in August, which showed that 64% of people with a hearing loss said they felt lonely either always, often, some of the time or occasionally.

“People who are Deaf or with hearing loss are more likely to experience loneliness than non-disabled people, and access to the arts has been proven to improve mental wellbeing,” Melanie added.

Theatre have been under financial pressure since the first national lockdown in March, with venues such as the National Theatre and The Old Vic amongst those launching online video series to raise funds – both of which were subtitled by Stagetext.

In April, the charity provided the subtitling for The Phantom of the Opera as part of The Shows Must Go On series, with 2.5 million viewers out of a total of 12.8 million watching with captions (19.5%).

The show formed part of Stagetext’s 328 digital videos subtitled from April to September this year – down 93 from the same period in 2019.

Although the number is lower in 2020, the five months saw over 9,700 minutes of content – including short films, trailers and social media videos – captioned by the organisation.

The figure is more than five times the amount for 2019, which was just over 1,400 minutes.

As Captioning Awareness Week begins on Monday, the number looks set to increase further, with more shows under The Shows Must Go On being made available online with subtitles, as well as a recorded performance of the Olivier Award winning play Emilia.

Away from theatre, lectures and discussions from the British Library, the British Academy and the Royal Society will also come with live captions this week.

More information about Captioning Awareness Week can be found on Stagetext’s official website.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.