What are my rights to services?
The Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland and Wales) and Disability Discrimination Act (Northern Ireland) apply to all public services. Service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments so they are accessible to deaf people.
Any company or organisation providing services to the public are included.
Examples would be:
- Cinemas
- Museums and galleries
- Shops
- Cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs
- Banks
- Utility companies (gas and electricity providers)
- Health services
What is reasonable will vary for different services. Examples of what services can do to make them accessible to deaf people include:
- providing listening equipment, such as hearing loops
- providing subtitles
- live captioning, such as Stagetext
- BSL signed performances
- turning loud music down or off
- turning the lights up so you can lip-read or sign
- providing accessible ways for you to contact them, such as BSL video relay services and textphone – not just a phone number.
Some services and people aren’t deaf aware and don’t realise they have a responsibility to make adjustments. Letting them know there's a problem can be the first step to solving it. If you have bad experience then you can raise the issue at the time or make a complaint afterwards. This gives them the chance to acknowledge and address the problem you have raised.
If a public service fails to make reasonable adjustments to be accessible to deaf people then it could be considered as discrimination. You can see our information about discrimination for more information about what this is and what you can do.
If you are a deaf young person and would like help to make a complaint or think you have been discriminated against by a public service, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service or our Helpline.