Sally Reynolds, Sarah Cassandro, Victoria Nelson
Events must be accessible for Deaf people. Success for three Deaf mums who took on Little Mix’s promoters!
The Campaign
In 2017, Cate and her friends Megan and Emily went to a Little Mix event as part of a birthday treat, which turned out to be the start of an unprecedented legal battle.
Cate’s mum, Sally Reynolds, and her friends’ mums, Sarah Cassandro and Victoria Nelson, are Deaf. They were only able to follow part of the event after issuing an application for an injunction in the County Court. The Little Mix events promoter refused to accept that British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters were reasonably required and, when challenged with legal action, threatened the families with costs liabilities of over £100K.
In 2021, Judge Avent in the Central London County Court handed down a judgment that criticised the behaviour of the LHG Live (the company changed its name to Live in the UK) finding them guilty of unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act.
Sally Reynolds with daughter Cate, BBC clip.
We are extremely delighted that SMK Awards has recognised the outcome of our important legal campaign, along with being shortlisted!
We hope that raising awareness of this legal case will empower Deaf people who want access to services, without them having to go through lengthy discussions or seek out legal action.”
Sally Reynolds with daughter Cate, BBC clip.
We are extremely delighted that SMK Awards has recognised the outcome of our important legal campaign, along with being shortlisted! We hope that raising awareness of this legal case will empower Deaf people who want access to services, without them having to go through lengthy discussions or seek out legal action.”
The Change
Deaf people face barriers on a daily basis when trying to access services, including legal services. Achieving a positive outcome in this case provided an immense benefit to the Deaf community.
The three mums always hoped that the trial outcome would provide a legal safety net that Deaf people could use in the years to come. The release of Judge Avent’s decision confirms that they were discriminated against and that LHG Live should have agreed to provide a BSL interpreter at the point of request.
The Judgment made it clear that service providers are required to provide Sign Language Interpreters for Deaf service users.
The Future
Sally, Sarah and Victoria were a team who never gave up in pushing for a legal outcome, saying they could not have achieved this without each other’s unwavering support.
The hope is that this ruling will empower Deaf people who want access to services, without having to go through lengthy negotiations or seeking out legal action.
Soon after the legal win, Wembley announced that they would guarantee BSL interpreters for every concert. This is significant as this will enable thousands of Deaf customers to attend music events on any given date. It also shows that Wembley value their Deaf customers by making their events accessible and inclusive. It is hoped that other venues will follow their example.
Who else was involved?
Sally, Sarah and Victoria thank Chris Fry their solicitor for taking on this case and Catherine Casserley, barrister, for her consistently detailed approach. Thanks also goes to CrowdJustice and all their supporters who helped to raise the funds needed to cover legal costs.
Limping Chicken provided excellent media coverage during the trial. Thanks to Marie Pascall from Performance Interpreting who continues to work hard to raise BSL awareness within the entertainment industry.
And last, but not least, they thank their amazing supporters, along with family and friends, who travelled this journey with them. They are immensely grateful to you all.
