Deaf mum sues Little Mix promoter because she couldn't understand concert

A deaf mother of a Little Mix fan is suing the group's promoter because she could not understand the concert she attended.

Sally Reynolds purchased six tickets last year to see the band in concert on 1 September at the South of England Event Centre in Sussex.

She is deaf and bought the tickets for herself, two deaf mothers and their daughters who are all able to hear, and asked the promoter, LHG Live, to provide a British Sign Language interpreter.

The company offered to give Reynolds care tickets, so they could bring their own interpreters, but she did not think this went far enough to improve the accessibility of the concert.

Ms Reynolds told the BBC: "We asked two or three times, please can you provide the interpreter for us, and the explanation we got back was just a 'no'.

"It didn't have any reason behind it and eventually we became so frustrated.

"I wanted to share the same experience my daughter had - essentially I just wanted access to the songs."

She then instructed lawyers to apply for a court injunction to force LHG Live to provide a British Sign Language interpreter.

Hours before the hearing, LHG Live agreed to provide an interpreter for Little Mix, and a specialist was provided to interpret their lyrics.

However, the company did not provide an interpreter for the two supporting acts, who performed prior to Little Mix.

"I felt that we were really part of the Little Mix experience," she said, "but because it was so good I realised that we had missed out on the first two acts.

"So it was very much a disparity of experience compared with everyone else.

"We only got access to the last act. If you went to a film can you imagine only getting access to the last 20 minutes?

"We had paid for our tickets like everyone else."

She is now suing because she feels LHG Live failed to make reasonable adjustments, in the form of supplying an interpreter, for the whole concert.

In a statement, LHG Live told the BBC: "We received a request from Sally Reynolds to supply an interpreter.

"We consulted with her recommended agency and agreed to provide the professional interpreter of her choice for the Little Mix show.

"This included specific staging and lighting, and a set list in advance."

LHG Live also provided upgraded tickets, access to private accessible toilets and all public announcements on giant screens either side of the main stage.

A spokesman for the band said: "Little Mix strongly believe their concerts should be completely inclusive for all.

"The band welcome all fans to their shows, including those with hearing impairment, and encourage the promoters they work with to make provisions to ensure their fans can enjoy the concert experience."

Ms Reynolds is taking action under the Equality Act 2010, which states that any organisation supplying a service to the public is under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that a disabled person's experience is as close as possible to that of someone without a disability.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/24/deaf-mum-sues-little-mix-promoter-couldnt-understand-concert/

I wonder if she has ever thought of suing the NHS because she cant hear in the first place.

Could have put words up on screen ?

Syl wrote:I wonder if she has ever thought of suing the NHS because she cant hear in the first place.

I know, daft cow.

This kind of thing is ridiculous. Learn the songs, ffs. You go to a concert and very often, unless you know the songs, you don't get to hear or understand all the lyrics. This opens a precedent for all kinds of things and is totally getting out of hand.

nicko wrote:Could have put words up on screen ?

They could, but why should they? It might not go with the artistic show they're doing. And if you're right at the back, how the devil will you see a lone sign language person from say, the back of an arena, anyway?

I'd like to see a sign interpreter at a Kool Keith concert!

nicko wrote:Could have put words up on screen ?

Or they could provide, you buy them at the concert, a lyric song sheet with the running order.  She could read that.

This is like a blind man going to the pictures and complaining he can't see the film.

She needs to get a grip.

I learned basic sign language and I grew to understand just how frustrated deaf people get, but this is just bordering on being ridiculously precious about a disability.
Concerts aren’t even all about the lyrics - it’s about the whole vibe and the sensations (most profoundly deaf people ‘hear’ music through vibration) and the atmosphere.
You don’t have to be hearing to experience all of that.