Artscape in Cape Town announced the launch of the assistive listening system, commonly known as the “Loop System”, for the hearing-impaired.
Installed by the Western Cape Government, the hearing loop is an assistive-listening system that provides access to facilities for those who experience hearing loss and use a hearing aid.
It takes a sound source and transfers it directly to a hearing aid without background noise, interference or acoustic distortion. Therefore the hearing impaired will now be able to experience a world-class production event like any other patron.
The system serves the Opera House, Theatre Auditorium, Arena, Innovation Lounge and the Chandelier Foyer, making it one of the few theatres in South Africa that offer this service to the up to 4 million hearing-impaired people in South Africa.
The launch coincides with World Polio Day in partnership with Rotarians of District 9350, LIVEABLE, Unmute Dance Company, Gender Works and the Western Cape Network on Disability. World Polio Day has as its aim not just the eradication of this affliction, but serves to highlight the support, resources and care that polio survivors need in order to live a sustainable life.
“Together we will also share the aforementioned organisations’ vital work in the fields of accessibility and inclusion,” Artscape said in a statement, “demonstrating how we can all contribute to building a more equitable and accessible society.
Artscape, as an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, believes that mainstreaming accessibility is a powerful tool to show accessibility in action as per government regulations.
This event will therefore offer a unique opportunity to experience accessibility at Artscape, with a walk- and wheel-about designed to showcase key accessibility features and initiatives such as toilet facilities, ramps, food and beverage counters and ticketing service counters for wheelchair-bound persons, dedicated wheelchair seating and the comfort room, among others.
Following the tour all guests are invited to join us for a networking session at the Opera Bar, where we will celebrate our collective efforts toward mainstreaming accessibility and the ongoing work of the End Polio Campaign.
