A woman told to remove her hearing aids at an arts centre for "interfering with the acoustics" has won a £4k payout.
Susan Davies, 80, says she was "humiliated" after she was told to take out the devices in the middle of a concert. Susan, of Aberystwyth, Wales, was attending the town's AberMusicFest when she and other audience members were told to "take off or turn down" their hearing aids.
Staff at Aberystwyth Arts Centre claimed the devices were "interfering" with the concert hall's acoustics. But Ms Davies says various sound engineers have since told her this was "nonsense". During one show, an employee approached Ms Davies' row and said: "Can you turn your hearing aid down it's interfering with the acoustics."
During another, a male audience member stood up and shouted: "Turn your hearing aids off!" And during a third Susan said a staff member stood at the front of the audience and reiterated the same command before "sniggering and bursting out laughing".
Ms Davies said the incidents were "humiliating", "upsetting" and "distressing" - and have left her unable to return to the Arts Centre, which she once "loved". She wrote to the University of Aberystwyth, which runs the centre, to complain but says their responses were "so disappointing".
The pensioner then decided to submit a disability discrimination claim, and in March received a £4,000 out-of-court settlement from the University. She has donated the sum to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. Ms Davies said: "It was a humiliating, upsetting, and distressing experience.
"It also made me very angry that in this day and age when we're meant to be aware of people with disabilities that we're still treated in this way. On the first occasion, an employee walked up the aisle to my row during the concert and called across to say: 'would you turn your hearing aid down, you're causing acoustic interference'.
"On the second, a gentleman in the audience stood up and shouted: 'Turn your hearing aids off!' At this point, another gentleman in the audience who like me was wearing hearing aids replied: 'How do you expect us to hear if we haven't got our hearing aids on?' And then during a third show, a senior member of staff stood at the front of the audience and told us to turn off our hearing aids before she sniggered and burst out laughing.
"I just can't tell you how upset I was. I was so upset that people with disabilities are being treated in such a humiliating way." Ms Davies complained to someone at Aberystwyth Arts Centre's reception following the experience where she was backed by another member of the audience.
"He was an expert in acoustics and came with me to tell them that it was nonsense to blame acoustic issues on people with hearing aids," Ms Davies explained. However, the staff present did not offer much help so Ms Davies decided to write to AberMusicFest, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and the University of Aberystwyth, which runs the festival.
"I was given non-apologies," Ms Davies said. "I was told again that there was a problem with hearing aids and a Diversity and Inclusion Officer even told me that it was 'acceptable' to ask audience members to turn down their hearing aids. The responses were so disappointing."
Alongside her husband Julian, 76, Ms Davies sought help from the Equality Advisory and Support Service who put her in touch with a solicitor who helped her make a claim. In March, Ms Davies received a £4,000 out-of-court settlement which she has donated to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.
She explained: "It wasn't about me. I was one of dozens of people in that audience wearing a hearing aid. We little people need to do what we can to take on these institutions about their discriminatory behaviour." Ever since the incidents at AberMusicFest, which happened in August last year, Ms Davies has sadly found herself unable to return to the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
"When we moved here around six years ago, Julian and I fell in love with the centre," Ms Davies said. "I used to go multiple times a week and I was a big fan of AberMusicFest. But now, I can't go back. I just can't envisage myself returning and bumping into those people who treated me in this way. I just can't."
A spokesperson for Aberystwyth University said: "The university aspires to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for the whole community. We take any complaint of discrimination extremely seriously and conducted a full investigation into the complaint made by Ms Davies.
"A settlement was paid to Ms Davies before any litigation was brought and it recognised the seriousness with which the university takes concerns of this nature. In addition, a full and sincere apology was provided to Ms Davies. We always seek to learn from any such concerns and have ensured that all necessary remedial action has been implemented."