You don’t need to be an expert to make your events accessible, but it helps to know what makes captions and live subtitles work well. More cultural organisations are recognising that captioning isn’t just a technical add-on, it’s a core part of welcoming audiences. Good captions and subtitles don’t only serve deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people. They support learning, improve understanding, and help more people enjoy what you have to share
Capturing Culture: Live subtitling in museums and galleries
New to live subtitling? Join our webinar with the Digital Culture Network on 21 October, 12–1pm, and find out how to welcome deaf, deafened and hard of hearing visitors.
Remote Live subtitles made simple: a practical guide for AV teams
Setting up remote live subtitles is easier than you think. Join us on Thursday 12 November, 12pm, for a practical step-by-step guide for AV teams, with time for your questions.
Registration to open soon
Offer a quality experience for your deaf audience
What makes a great night out for deaf audiences? Join Melanie and guests from Nimax, Shakespeare’s Globe and Nottingham Playhouse on Tuesday 10 November, 12pm, as they share what works.
Registration to open soon
Why This Matters
Captions and subtitles serve far more people than you might expect. Around 18 million UK adults are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing, that’s one in three people. Age related hearing loss affects 50% of people over 50 and 80% of those over 70. Only 1% of deaf people use British Sign Language well, so most people need text to understand what’s being said.
For most people with some form of deafness, the challenge isn’t that everything sounds quieter, it’s that parts of words become unclear or disappear entirely. Quality captions fill in these missing pieces, giving important information that hearing aids can’t always provide.
This autumn we’re running three webinars to help you get subtitles and captions right. One is with the Digital Culture Network (DCN) in October, and two are our own during Captioning Awareness Week (9–15 November). Find the one that suits you.
Want to learn more?
- Look at Stagetext’s helpful information about making content accessible: Resources
- Watch our webinar recording: “Everything you wanted to know about subtitling (but were afraid to ask)“
- Watch our other webinar recording: “End-to-End Access: A digital approach to inclusivity for deaf visitors“