§ Lord Fearnasked Her Majesty's Government:
What help has been given in the past, or will be given in the next 12 months, through the Arts Council or other body, to Stagetext which makes theatre accessible to people with hearing loss. [HL1938]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)Stagetext has received support from the Arts Council over the past two years in recognition of its groundbreaking work in enabling access to theatre for people with a hearing loss. In 2001–02, Stagetext received £20,000 to develop its business plan. In 2002–03, it received £20,000 to test ways in which regional captioned performances can best be supported and £8,000 to develop a good practice guide for venues interested in captioning. The Arts Council is currently in discussion with Stagetext about future funding for the organisation.
Stagetext has also been very successful in attracting support from other funders, such as the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Linbury Trust.