Little Mix weigh in on inclusivity row after deaf mum sues concert promoter

A deaf woman has issued a lawsuit against Little Mix's promoter as she could not understand the concert she attended. The group insist they "believe their concerts should be completely inclusive for all".

Sally Reynolds, whose eight-year-old daughter Cate Merry is a huge big fan of the girl group, purchased six tickets to watch them live at a concert in South of England Event Centre in Sussex in September 2017.

She said that in order to share the same experience as her daughter she asked the promoter, LHG Live, " two or three times" to provide a British Sign Language interpreter.

"The explanation we got back was just a 'no'," she told the BBC. "It didn't have any reason behind it and eventually we became so frustrated."

Legal action

After receiving no help, Reynolds applied for a court injunction to force LHG Live to provide a British Sign Language interpreter days before the show.

Under the Equality Act 2010, any organisation supplying a service to the public is under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that a disabled person's experience is as close as possible to that of someone without a disability

The unprecedented legal step forced LHG Live to provide an interpreter for Little Mix, and a specialist was provided to interpret their lyrics. However, on the day she realised an interpreter had not been booked for the two supporting acts, who performed prior to Little Mix.

"So it was very much a disparity of experience compared with everyone else," she said. "We only got access to the last act. If you went to a film can you imagine only getting access to the last 20 minutes? We had paid for our tickets like everyone else."

Reynolds is now suing LHG Live for failure to make reasonable adjustments, with her lawyer adding that "it is important that venues and promoters recognise that the legal duties to make reasonable adjustments extend to them".

LHG Live addressed the legal wrangling a statement saying that they had consulted with her and agreed to provide the professional interpreter of her choice for the Little Mix show which "included specific staging and lighting, and a set list in advance".

Her tickets were upgraded and she was given access to private accessible toilets and all public announcements on giant screens either side of the main stage.

A rep for Little Mix said, "The band welcome all fans to their shows, including those with hearing impairment, and encourage the promoters they work with to make provisions to ensure their fans can enjoy the concert experience."