Captioned Glasses @ National Theatre

On the 29th December I went to a captioned performance of Warhorse at the National Theatre.

 As many of you may know I love nothing more than heading to the theatre with captions (by stagetext) but my experience is often varied as I have to rely on theatres to advise me on the best seating for optimal view of both the captions and the stage. Sometimes this works really well and others, well it's just hard work, mainly because there usually are two screens placed either side of the stage but the height and how far inwards they face can vary at different theatres. This can really make or break the enjoyment of the show. The further up or outwards the screens, the more you have to move your head each time someone speaks, missing vital movement on the stage (or just pure talent and craft) particularly as your eyes readjust each time it moves back and forth.

Today was different however with the additional use of captioned glasses, a scheme rolled out by the National Theatre, London who currently have them available for screenings of Warhorse and Hadestown and hope to have them readily available for all shows next year. This is something that I'm unaware of happening elsewhere in the UK.

 When I arrived at the National Theatre I was bowled over by the support available. There was someone available to give me a full tutorial, they were available during the interval (personal service as they note your seating) and they were very open to feedback at the end. I've never seen such support widely given for deaf people, perhaps my only criticism would be whether any of them are able to sign for BSL users, that was something I did not ask.

 So, my opinion of the captioned glasses? Invariably, mixed. Let me summarise using a classic pros and cons list.

Cons

1. It is bulky. There is no getting around that. The glasses themselves have bulky sides to them, the lenses are thick and connected to a wire and a black box which is safely hung around your neck which can get slightly weighty after a while.

2. There is no 'safe' place for them. I held the glasses in my hand or put them on my head for safety during the interval. Going to the toilet whilst balancing an expensive pair of captioned glasses was definitely an experience.

3. It's not great for glasses wearers. Although they have adjustable sides theres no getting around the fact that they are leaning on top of your glasses which feels heavy after a while. A few people noted issues with their varifocal glasses etc around me (I'm such a nosey person).

4. The glasses make everything seem flattened and slightly darker, losing some of the joy found in the theatre with real life actors. I felt a little like I was watching TV after a while as the glasses gave a flattened 2D effect. 5. It was difficult to feel comfortable as the bulky sides made it difficult to be aware when people needed to get out of the aisle next to you resulting in a slight apprehension of when this would be and annoyance when someone did this unexpectedly. Me personally, I rely heavily on my peripheral vision to compensate for my hearing loss so it did give me a claustrophobic feeling after a while.

 Pros

 I imagine after reading the cons list you're thinking, is there any pros ?! Well, in a word, YES. For me, I was delighted in the fact that the writing was clear, readable, (mostly) in time with the show. I am so thankful that someone is coming up with an idea that in theory, could be a solution to a problem that has unnecessarily hindered and continues to hinder deaf people.

Would I wear them again? Yes I would, but only alongside the captioned screens on the side of the stage so that I can rest my face from the weight of both glasses (personal and captioned) during the show.

In conclusion, my opinion is that captioned glasses has so much potential but for me, it's not quite there yet. But now, having had the experience, having tried this technology, I have feelings of not only happiness but also enlightenment and a sense of achievement as I realise that other people care about equal access just as much as I do. Thank you.

 If you'd like more information about the captioned glasses at the National Theatre then have a look at this; https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/your-visit/access/caption-glasses .

Deaf Day, London 2013: Eleanor

 So on Saturday I went to the Deaf Day exhibition in London at the Cit Lit building. It was my first time visiting so I was unsure what to expect. Luckily I had lots of company, some people from my BSL course and one of my close friends.

 When I arrived, it was crazy. There were lots of people, everywhere and I mean everywhere! It was amazing to see so many people together and signing quite comfortably, not a sight I'm too familiar with! The exhibition was spread out over 5 floors, but this didn't make it any easier. The lift was constantly busy so the stairs was our constant saviour. The corridors full, the rooms full, each of the information stands surrounded by people.

 There was lots of information available, for example some of the stands talked about new equipment for deaf people, deaf books, courses and benefits etc. One of the stands had courses for lip-reading, which was aimed more at deafened people rather than a course to become a lip-speaker (slightly disappointing) and the lady pretty much said it wouldn't be any use as I was already AWESOME at lip-reading. OK, maybe she didn't say AWESOME, but she implied it... :)

 At 12:00 we saw the 'Deaf men dancing' which was beautiful. It was a group of 4 deaf men with a short performance. It wasn't quite what I was expecting (probably a good thing, I had an image of old men doing morris dancing) and some of the men were clearly professionals at it. I did think there would be a bit more BSL incorporated into it, a clear link between music and deafness. It was beautifully done though. One of the men looked rather like Derren Brown just with crazy curly hair (cute!).
  At the end of their performance they said they were doing a workshop in the summer and were on the lookout for some more deaf men to join their dancing group. They also said about starting one for ladies too. So, if anyone knows anyone that's interested, look it up on Twitter or Facebook 'Deaf Men Dancing'.

 In the afternoon I went to one of the workshops 'Fighting fear of communication with UbiDuo'. Basically its a machine that translates what you are saying into words. The lady presenting it, her words came up on a projector behind her, real-time subtitles basically! It was slightly weird, at first the things she was saying didn't ring true. For example she was talking about how 'we all know that deaf person, who's been working the same job, week after week, year after year and still hasn't been promoted'. She also talked about how in workforces 'deaf people are put to one side of the room and hearing are put on the other' and how this machine would 'integrate everyone together'. It seemed a rather strong selling point to a machine that actually can't be leased out to individuals but through schemes such as universities and Access to Work. It was all very well presented though because the machine was constantly working throughout. It did become a bit awkward at one point, when the lady was saying how an interpreter couldn't be available for all the hours you need, but this machine could, only for a deaf gentleman to pipe up that he always had an interpreter available whenever he needed 24/7.
 It was amazing to see it at work, and they mentioned that the transcript could also be seen on I-pads rather than projections and could be saved so students and lecturers could refer to it afterwards. It showed a real starting point for the future and hopefully many more ideas will stem from it.

 It was a lovely day, even if it was a bit busy and especially even if we had to get up at 6am!

 On the way home we stopped at the services (3 hour coach journey, toilet breaks are needed) and my friend and I decided to get some tea at KFC. Ordering food is always awkward for me but this time it was more difficult than usual. Here's how the conversation went:

 SERVER: What would you like?
 MY FRIEND: Boneless banquet please
 SERVER: What sides would you like?
 MY FRIEND: erm... *blank face because she's not heard*
 SERVER: What sides would you like?
 ME: *realising he's talking about sides* Do you want beans, coleslaw?
 MY FRIEND: Ah beans
 SERVER: Would you like any extras?
 MY FRIEND: *blank face*
 ME: Do you want anything more?
 MY FRIEND: Ah no thanks

 Order is placed and then server looks to me

 ME: BBQ rancher meal please
 SERVER: *is distracted or deliberately ignoring me*
 ME: Hello?
 SERVER: Sorry I wasn't listening
 ME: BBQ rancher meal please
 SERVER: "£$£$^()"£(£%$)(
 ME: What?
 SERVER: £$%)("£$()"£(£(£
 ME: Sorry I'm deaf I can't really hear you, I think its your accent
 SERVER: Oh come on, really?
 ME: Yes, sorry, me and my friend are deaf we can't hear you
 SERVER: But you understood me a minute ago
 ME: I know but we are deaf
 SERVER: OK £)"£$()"
 ME: .... No that's it thanks?
 SERVER: *face like that's the wrong answer*
 ME: Sorry what?
 SERVER: *Turns the till to me so I can see the price*

 I hand over the money and it is very awkward. Server comes with our food when it is ready and doesn't even look at us. My friend and I feel very uncomfortable because the whole conversation went over our heads, we both struggled to understand this man and he didn't really attempt to help even when we explained we are deaf. I became very embarrassed (with rosy red cheeks to prove it).

 The whole incident made us feel pretty worthless. We had become quite confident during the day, probably due to having BSL as extra support but when hit with the reality of the real world once again it was a painful thump back to earth.