Wembley Stadium is to offer sign language as a guaranteed service at every live concert.
The UK’s biggest arena’s announcement commits that all future concerts will offer guaranteed British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation with services provided by Performance Interpreting Ltd, ensuring the live music can be enjoyed by deaf spectators.
Wembley said the news is a significant enhancement, as previously BSL interpretation was pre-booked or available only on select days. Customers will be able to take advantage of the BSL service from when Ed Sheeran brings his ‘+ – = ÷ x Tour’ to London in June 2022, and beyond for all touring acts performing at the stadium.
Paul Smyth, head of event operations at Wembley, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer British Sign Language for our customers at every concert moving forward. We pride ourselves not only on being an inclusive stadium to be enjoyed by all, but also for leading the way in terms of best practice within the industry.
“We look forward to hosting our deaf customers at future gigs and hope that they feel the benefit of this vital service at Wembley Stadium.”
Performance Interpreting Ltd was created both by and for the Deaf community, with whom they work extensively. The company provides registered BSL interpreters, translators and deaf performers for the music, sport and entertainment industries across the UK. Their services help to deliver quality access for deaf people, enabling the deaf and deafblind communities to share enriched experiences in wider society events.
Marie Pascall, founder of Performance Interpreting Ltd, said: “We are elated at Wembley Stadium’s decision to provide British Sign Language access for Deaf BSL customers for every show. This will enable thousands of Deaf customers to attend music events on any given date.”
Photo by Nicholas Green on Unsplash
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