Hearing aid facilities for competitors and audience members

Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru understands that a welcoming eisteddfod must work for Welsh speakers, first-time visitors, competitors, families and volunteers. Hearing access belongs within that welcome, from the first event notice to the final award announcement. Whether the competition is held in a Sydney community hall, a Melbourne cultural centre or a regional venue in Victoria, organisers should treat good listening as part of the cultural experience rather than an optional extra. Learn more about Building A Simple Website For Your Local Eisteddfod.

Some competitors use hearing aids with telecoils, some use cochlear implants, and others rely on clear speech, visual information or a combination of supports. Their requirements differ, so a single loop or a row of front seats is not a complete answer. Ask people what assists them, document available equipment, and offer more than one way to follow performances and announcements without requiring attendees to disclose a diagnosis.

Plan access before promotion

Begin with a named access coordinator who can answer questions from competitors and audience members in Welsh or English. Include an optional access-needs field in registration and use the same question for performers, judges and volunteers. Give people a direct contact by email or phone, record requests confidentially, and confirm each arrangement before event day. This prevents a request made through a ticket form from disappearing between the ticketing account and the stage manager.

Carry out a technical venue visit rather than trusting the phrase “hearing loop available” on a council hall listing. Check where the loop serves, whether it reaches the stage, backstage rooms and foyer, and whether the microphone and loop controls are compatible. Multipurpose suburban and regional Australian venues may have movable seating, hard walls and shared PA systems that create feedback or uneven sound. Clear online information is equally important; the society’s simple eisteddfod website guide offers a practical way to publish access details while listing what is confirmed rather than implying that every venue offers the same facilities.

Match support to hearing needs

Explain the options in plain language. A hearing aid with a telecoil can pick up an induction-loop signal when switched to the T or telecoil setting, while some cochlear implant processors and Bluetooth-compatible hearing devices can receive audio directly. Not every device has the same function. Give attendees specific instructions to contact their audiologist or hearing clinic if they need help activating a setting, and avoid asking them to experiment at the venue.

Use redundancy where possible: a working loop, a receiver system, clear announcements and captions can support different users without singling anyone out. Arrange an Auslan interpreter when requested, particularly for judging, speeches and community singing sessions. In Australia, Auslan interpreters may be commissioned through disability-service providers, while participants using a National Disability Insurance Scheme plan may fund relevant supports when they align with an agreed plan goal. Confirm costs directly; an event must not assume coverage.

Create a balanced listening environment

Control stage sound as carefully as sightlines. Use a close microphone for speeches, a separate vocal pickup for singing or instruments, and keep loudspeakers away from open microphones to prevent howling into the loop. Rehearse in the hall with the PA, induction loop and any assistive-listening receivers switched on. For cerdd dant, folk singing and dance announcements, test whether soft passages and spoken directions remain intelligible across the room and backstage.

The right support can be matched to different listening needs:

Option	Best suited to	Event setup	Main limitation
Induction loop	Hearing-device users with a telecoil or coil receiver	Install around the stage and test the full audience area	The signal may cover only part of the room
Assistive-listening receivers	People who cannot use a loop or need stronger personal audio	Supply receivers with headphones from a staffed entrance	Requires charging, hygiene and distribution
Live captions	People who rely on visual speech, including Deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees	Use a trained captioner and a visible display	Requires preparation and a suitable screen
Auslan interpretation	Deaf people and others who use signed language	Book an interpreter and maintain clear sightlines	Advance booking and good staging are essential

Ask attendees which combination they prefer, then make the preferred option easy to find. Captioning complements rather than replaces good acoustics, and receivers provide useful access when a loop covers only part of a room. Place receivers at the entrance, number them clearly and train volunteers to issue them discreetly. Reserve accessible seating with a clear view without isolating people from companions.

Support competitors from backstage to stage

Give competitors the same standard of access as the audience. Provide arrival instructions, a quiet backstage room, an accessible toilet and a named stage contact. Offer a short orientation covering entrances, exits, emergency pauses, judging announcements and where to collect a receiver. Let performers know whether stage directions will be spoken, displayed or both, and rehearse any combined spoken and signed cue with the adjudicator.

Adjust rehearsal and performance routines to the room rather than expecting users to adapt. Outdoor Welsh cultural events in Australia can face wind, generators and audience noise, so agree on a microphone strategy and a visible fallback for missed cues. Hold sensitive discussions away from the loudest hospitality area, keep spare receiver batteries and charging cables at the desk, and let a competitor choose whether support staff attend the green room.

Simplify booking and arrival

Make booking straightforward across digital and non-digital channels. The ticket page should state the acoustics, hearing support, captioning and accessible seating, followed by a short request form and a phone or email contact. Australian audiences may find events through local councils, Welsh societies or platforms such as Eventbrite, but not everyone uses an app or completes forms early. Keep a paper option at the box office and allow arrangements to be confirmed later without challenging a person’s disability.

Respect cultural protocols and provide practical arrival guidance together. A Welcome to Country by the relevant Traditional Custodians can form part of an opening ceremony in Australia, while Welsh-language and English welcome messages acknowledge the eisteddfod tradition; deliver both through speech and projected text. Publish accessible parking, drop-off points, public transport details and a map of step-free routes. In dense Sydney or Melbourne suburbs, include the safest accessible arrival point rather than relying on a general street address.

Equip volunteers to communicate well

Train every volunteer to face the audience, speak at a normal pace and use a microphone for important announcements. One person should deliver each update, while another repeats it in Welsh or English where needed. Never touch a hearing aid, ask someone to remove a device or suggest switching settings without permission. Invite attendees to identify a discreet signal for missed information, and ensure emergency messages appear on screens as well as being announced.

Build awareness of access needs into marketing and visual design without making individual attendees the public focus. Use high-contrast text, readable type sizes and uncluttered programme layouts, and place access symbols where expected. For tactile welcome ideas or cultural patterns, a textile collection tour can supply visual reference; keep fabric samples away from microphones and allow people to explore them without using them as a test of hearing. Share the access policy with sponsors and caterers so their signage, announcements and social posts remain clear.

Make access part of the welcome

Put access procedures, equipment costs and contingency plans in the committee budget and event policy. Record the date of loop testing, the batteries used and who controls each system. Review requests and incidents after the event, with feedback offered in Welsh, English and Auslan where necessary, then adjust the next event. Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru can use the resulting evidence to help other committees preserve inclusive Welsh cultural practice as well as songs, dance and cerdd dant.

Start the next planning cycle by appointing an access coordinator, checking the venue’s hearing equipment, contacting local audiologists and assistive-listening suppliers, and publishing confirmed access details with the ticket link. Send the same access checklist to every competitor and to the stage team. Make the coordinator appointment, venue test and published access details the first commitments on the next eisteddfod calendar, so every competitor and audience member can take part with dignity.