Bristol least accessible city for deaf people – study

 

 

Bristol is the least accessible city for in UK for customers with hearing loss, according to research carried out by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).

The charity taking action on hearing loss found 97 per cent of surveyed businesses in the city were inaccessible for hearing aid users because they don’t have fully working induction loops – the worst level of provision of 17 locations surveyed across the UK.

Only three of 91 surveyed businesses in Bristol had fully operational induction loops – equipment used by two million people in the UK who wear hearing aids.

RNID’s chief executive Jackie Ballard said: “Christmas shopping is stressful enough for anyone, but for people in Bristol who wear hearing aids, buying something as simple as a box of chocolates or book can be impossible at this time of year. Retailers will be concerned to learn that, by not providing a full working induction loop, they are failing shoppers who are deaf or hard of hearing and putting themselves at risk of legal action under the Equality Act 2010.”

Richard Scullard, a hearing aid user from Stoke Bishop, said: “I choose to buy Christmas gifts from shops, which I know from experience have working induction loops to help me hear what customer services are saying. Without loops, I struggle to follow their conversations – particularly when there is a lot of music being played in the background, and that happens quite a lot at this time of year.”

According to the Equality Act 2010, shops should ensure that customers with a hearing loss do not receive a worse service and induction loops are a ‘reasonable adjustment’ because they help hearing aid users by amplifying speech over background noise.

RNID staff visited 1,518 businesses in 17 locations throughout the UK including Bristol, London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea, Belfast and Dundee.

 

Comedy looses a great contributor

 

 

Comedy lost one of its greatest contributors Sunday.

Leslie Nielsen, famous for his film roles in “Airplane!” and as Lt. Frank Drebin in “The Naked Gun” series, died from pneumonia complications at age 84. Known for starring in satirical films and his dry delivery of lines, Nielsen was among a rare breed of film comedians who were truly funny, something that can’t be said for many of today’s stars.

Anyone who has seen “Airplane!” might recall Nielsen’s response to the question, “Surely you can’t be serious?” with “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.” That line, in itself, is nothing particularly earth-shattering, but Nielsen’s spot-on comedic timing and delivery cemented it in the pantheon of cinematic funny moments.

How about his quips from “The Naked Gun” franchise? In “The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear,” Jane Spencer, played by Priscilla Presley, describes a suspect to Nielsen’s character as “a white guy. A moustache. About 6-foot-3,” to which Nielsen responds, “Awfully big moustache.”

There are numerous other quotes, soundbites and YouTube videos of classic Nielsen zingers, but as consumers of comedy films, we should all be remorseful we’ll never experience his brand of humor again. In today’s cinematic comedy climate of poop jokes and Will Ferrell, Nielsen’s style is not only one to be praised, but also one we should all miss.

And his talent didn’t stop at comedy.

Nielsen began his career starring in big-budget pictures, such as “Forbidden Planet” in 1956 and “The Poseidon Adventure” in 1972, cementing his status as a respected and serious actor, before tackling the now career-defining “Airplane!” in 1980.

From there, a career in classic satires led Roger Ebert to deem Nielsen “the Olivier of spoofs.”

And did you know Nielsen was legally deaf? How’s that for impressive? His eardrums were injured by the “deafening” combat noises heard during his World War II tour of duty as a tail gunner with the Royal Canadian Air Force. According to an interview in the National Enquirer (7/30/91) he would be completely “deaf” without his hearing devices.

So the next time you’re sitting in a movie theater watching second-rate comedies of wannabe frat guys getting stupidly drunk or Will Ferrell running around naked, take a second to remember Nielsen. He was one of film’s truest comedians, one who’s now sadly gone — and the genre will never be the same.

Sources / TV Acres & The Lantern