Wembley Stadium has announced that it will now offer sign language for every live concert, starting from June 2022.
The London music and sports stadium today (October 19) announced that it will become the UK’s biggest venue to offer British Sign Language (BSL) as a guaranteed service at every live concert.
Previously only available on select days or if pre-booked, the newly announced guaranteed availability of BSL interpretation – provided by Performance Interpreting Ltd – is a significant enhancement in the provision for Deaf consumers.
The service will officially kick off when Ed Sheeran brings his ‘+ – = ÷ x’ tour to London in June 2022, and continue thereafter for all touring acts performing at the iconic stadium.
“We are delighted to be able to offer British Sign Language for our customers at every concert moving forward,” Paul Smyth, head of event operations at Wembley Stadium, said. “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.
“I’d particularly like to thank our customer engagement manager and disability liaison officer Matt Owen and our partners at Performance Interpreting for working together to bring this ground-breaking service to our venue. 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.”
Marie Pascall, founder of Performance Interpreting Ltd, added: “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.
“Wembley continues to be a beacon of best practice and this is a huge step in the right direction. We hope other venues will value their Deaf customers and appreciate access in the same way.”
Meanwhile, last year, a sign language performance of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s ‘WAP’ went viral, with almost 3million views so far.
Source: https://www.nme.com/news/music/wembley-stadium-offers-sign-language-for-every-live-concert-3074273