justanotheridijiton:padalickmyballs:Recently, Creation Entertainment sent an email to a Deaf fan say
justanotheridijiton:padalickmyballs:Recently, Creation Entertainment sent an email to a Deaf fan saying that they will “no longer be offering complimentary interpreting services at Canadian shows.”They already have a long history of denying access to deaf and hard-of-hearing fans at their conventions. Apparently because it’s technically not illegal they think it’s okay to screw fans over. People don’t seem to realize that when deaf people are denied interpreters and other accommodations, it feels like we might as well have been banned from the cons. It’s completely unrealistic to expect fans to not only have friends who are qualified to interpret but also be willing to spend an entire weekend working for free at a very difficult job that should only ever be done by 2 licensed, certified, experienced interpreters. It’s unfair that we’re denied access to the same things as everyone else, having to sit by and watch while everyone else has the time of their lives. It’s disheartening to be willfully and knowingly excluded by both the spaces where fandoms convene, and the media/shows that kill off the characters that represent us. It’s hurtful that we are only seen as an unwanted burden because we’re a hit to profits, while other fans are being treated with respect or even favoritism. Why won’t Creation make it a regular habit to budget for access needs? Why can’t cons think of accommodations as necessary as installing lights, amps, microphones, screens? Why don’t cons hire interpreters and then promote their events to deaf fans so that more people will be inclined to attend once they know it’s accessible?Links to tweets:Main threadShoshannah’s tweetStern, S. [Shoshannah7]. (2017, Jun 17). Absolutely thrilled to share that @CreationEnt will now be providing interpreters for their Vancouver & Toronto cons! #SPNSignLanguage [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/shoshannah7/status/875877153992200192They changed their minds, which is an improvement, but let’s set a couple things straight:- They only decided to give deaf fans access once we exposed them on social media and they realized we had the support of the fandom, which was bad PR for Creation- They only decided to listen when a FAMOUS ACTRESS told them the same things deaf fans have been advocating for years- They have denied countless fans in the past knowing full well that what they were doing was illegal.The real litmus test is whether they’re going to keep providing interpreters in private now too, without the cast and social media hovering over them.- The company will need to completely rethink the way they sell tickets and do business with fans with disabilities. Their current system causes too many barriersIf you are a deaf/hoh fan and they refuse to provide interpreters or captionists, do NOT keep quiet about it. -- source link
#creation#shoshannah stern