The Data Protection Acts don’t allow us to keep information about people’s disabilities. We can keep information about their preferred communication methods and whether they are actual or potential attenders of captioned or audio described performances.
The key time to collect data is at the time of booking. If your Box Office does not collect this information about customers along with their name and address, you will be starting from scratch every time you try and promote an assisted performance.
What you can do …
- Set up two discount, ticket or buyer codes, one for captioned performances and one for audio described performances. Your promotional material for assisted performances should strongly recommend that customers tell the Box Office that they want to use the captioning service and need a seat with an appropriate and clear view of the units.
- Everyone who buys a ticket for a performance that is being captioned should be asked: “This is a captioned performance. Would you, or any member of your party, like to take advantage of this service?”
- Set up a mailing list so that people who are interested in assisted performances can sign up to it and you can send them targeted information or highlight forthcoming CAP or AD performances
This high quality, printed postcard from the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, is an enticing way to encourage people to join a mailing list. Crucially, it includes an explanation on each service. It would be useful to add a couple of checkboxes to indicate preferred communication method/format.