Ninety-four per cent of survey respondents said hearing ability has resulted in them having a poor experience, and 83% said they have been disappointed because the right provision wasn't available to allow them to access and enjoy the performance.
The survey was completed by 143 people with a range of hearing abilities, from mild to profound hearing loss.
Findings from the survey suggest that shows and concerts can be made more comfortable and accessible to people with hearing loss by offering: Less background music when speaking takes place (73% respondents agreed); Provision of an assistive listening system (66% respondents agreed); Clear speech (65% respondents agreed); Captions (64% respondents agreed).
Smaller numbers said they wanted more volume (25%). A few wanted less volume (9%), and some said they would like sign language interpretation (3%).
When it comes to assistive listening systems, there is a clear preference for one type of system over the others. The overwhelming majority of respondents (77%) said their preference was for an induction hearing loop rather than an infrared or FM system.
The survey also looked at experiences with ticket offices, bar areas, eating areas, and with ushers and customer service staff.
The findings reveal that the improvement which would make the greatest single difference is for staff to speak clearly and to look at the person they are speaking to. This is particularly important at the ticket office (71% respondents agreed) and with Ushers (67% respondents agreed).
Sally Shaw, director of Ideas for Ears, comments, "The scale of poor experiences reported through the survey suggests that theatres and concert halls have quite some way to go in order to make their facilities comfortable and appropriate for all hearing abilities.
"The numbers of people who have hearing loss has reached 11m and is continuing to grow. When you consider that each of those individuals has family and friends who potentially wish to join them on a trip to a show or concert then this a very large group of people. It would make sense for theatres and concert halls to invest in measures that meet their hearing needs."
(Jim Evans)
