Lockie
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Lockie, late 20s, is Deaf. He has cochlear implants.
He told the Royal Commission that he loves going to the theatre, movies, concerts and musicals.
He relies on a hearing loop to access the entertainment experience.
A hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by a cochlear implant or hearing aid when it is set to a ‘T’ setting. Reverb and background noise are eliminated, allowing the person to hear the entertainment as if they were up-close.
Lockie says most venues advertise hearing loops but the loops are broken, outdated or incompatible with new hearing device technology.
A short time ago, Lockie attended a performance at a large venue.
Staff assured him the loop technology worked, but it didn’t.
Lockie missed the first half of the performance, going back and forth with staff to find a solution.
‘I had to switch between two different hearing loops, one of which worked, but not clearly. However, the one that “worked” had a low battery that went flat before the end of the show.’
At another performance, the first two hearing loops were broken.
When Lockie asked staff for a third, they warned him most of them were broken.
‘This raised concerns for me that the business is very aware that the hearing loops are broken and had not taken action to fix this or change their advertising.’
Recently, Lockie went to the box office to collect the hearing loop and staff told him they didn’t have one.
When he pointed out that they advertise a hearing loop system, staff became rude.
Lockie asked to speak to a manager.
The venue offered him a free ticket to use when they installed a new hearing loop, but with ‘no specific commitment to a timeline for when this will happen’.
‘What use is there for a free ticket to return to see an inaccessible show or movie again when there is no commitment to fix the inaccessible equipment in the first place?’ Lockie asks.
Lockie would like more accessible options for Deaf or hard of hearing people such as Auslan interpreted, captioned and audio described sessions or performances.
‘Deaf and hard of hearing patrons are not asking for handouts. They are asking for an accessible entertainment experience that they can attend, enjoy, and not have to constantly battle to educate staff and test and fix broken and outdated technology.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.