Four new hearing loop systems have been introduced as part of ARC’s  commitment to improving access for deaf and disabled people.

Hearing loop systems have been installed due to funding from the Cultural Shift programme, and are now available to use at the box office, in the No 60 café bar, in the cinema and also in the studio theatre.

Annabel Turpin, Chief Executive of ARC said: “The addition of the new loop systems, combined with increased numbers of BSL interpreted performances, mean we are offering improved access for Deaf and hearing impaired people.

“If a customer requires a hearing loop to use with their hearing aid, they can simply head to our Box Office and a member of staff will be on hand to provide further information.”

The addition of the hearing loops comes directly from the Cultural Shift, a three year funded project which aims to improve opportunities for disabled people to take part in the arts in a number of ways.

The introduction of hearing loops comes shortly after the introduction of  audio description equipment to the cinema, which enables a range of films to be screened with audio description. Films with audio description can be found on the cinema section of the website, and will be clearly displayed with the will be  with the ‘AD’ logo clearly displayed on the event page.