- The Artscape Theatre has installed a new hearing loop system to make productions accessible to those with hearing impairments.
- This assistive technology enables sound to be transmitted directly to hearing aids, reducing background noise and distortion.
- DeafSA welcomed the system, calling for further inclusion measures, such as interpreters and job opportunities for the Deaf community.
To make the Artscape Theatre more accessible a new assistive listening system has been installed to assist people who are hearing impaired.
The hearing loop, installed by the Western Cape Government, is an assistive listening system that enables people with hearing loss or using a hearing aid to access facilities.
The loop system takes a sound source and transfers it directly to a hearing aid without background noise, interference or acoustic distortion.
The system is installed in the Artscape’s Opera House, Theatre Auditorium, Arena, Innovation Lounge and the Chandelier Foyer except for the box office area.
This feature makes the institution one of the few theatres in South Africa that offer this service to the up to four million hearing-impaired persons in South Africa.
Dr Marlene le Roux, chief executive officer of the Artscape Theatre, says as a government institution, their focus is to “actively make spaces accessible” to all people with disabilities.
“It is not just about ramps. Inclusion means full participation with dignity for all Artscape patrons. The hard of hearing will be able to experience a world-class production event like any other patron through the loop system.
“This system doesn’t replace the fact that at certain events, government institutions must still be assisted with sign language interpreters.”
Key focus
Le Roux says their key focus is to ensure the theatre is accessible to all.
“One of our main priorities is to make the ongoing quest to adhere to the needs for persons with disabilities to be mainstreamed. We use Artscape as a government institution as an example, that we can’t just have accessibility as a policy with no implementation taking place.
Jabaar Mohamed, DeafSA provincial director, welcomed the loop system.
“It is good for hard of hearing and hearing loss users who attend Artscape. But for the Deaf who is a South African Sign Language user still need access like SASL Interpreter and subtitles.”
He says deaf and hearing-impaired people still face many challenges.
“We need more job creation access for the deaf and hard of hearing community. In the Western Cape there are so many job barriers for the Deaf. We also need more apps catering for the deaf and hard of hearing such as public service and communication access.
“I would like all stakeholders, and private sectors including government to make education, jobs and public services more inclusive for our deaf and hard of hearing community.”
