Volunteer opportunity: Stagetext Ambassador Do you love theatre? Have you ever used captions to go and see a performance? Or perhaps visiting a museum, gallery or heritage site is more your thing? Have you ever used subtitles to enjoy a talk, tour or exhibition? Why not become a volunteer Stagetext Ambassador to spread the word about accessibility through captions and subtitles. Together we can make more cultural venues accessible to caption users. Role: Stagetext Ambassador Location: Online, home-based, anywhere in the UK, with the opportunity to attend occasional in-person events run by Stagetext. We are particularly looking for new Ambassadors who live outside London. When: Ongoing, flexible – do as much or as little as suits you. Introduction Stagetext is a deaf-led charity that advocates for and provides accessible captions at live events in theatres, museums and galleries, and for all kinds of cultural content online. We champion captions and subtitles that are fully accessible to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people. This means the captions match exactly what is being said, word for word; they appear in time with what is being said; and they include extra information such as descriptions of sound or music. All kinds of people use captions – whether to support concentration, aid literacy or because they are one of the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. The Role Stagetext are seeking caption users from around the country to become Ambassadors. Ambassadors help us raise awareness of captioned culture, both with audiences and the cultural sector, and give valuable feedback to Stagetext, as well as supporting us for occasional events. Being an Ambassador is a voluntary, unpaid role. Sharing your experiences of captioning is one of the best ways to show the value of accessibility. We ask Ambassadors to share their stories in whatever way feels natural. This could be: • Posting on social media • Talking to Stagetext so that we can use your quotes or be part of a case study • Talking to people (individually or in groups) about Stagetext to spread the word – this could be in person or online, and we would provide training and materials In addition, Ambassadors: • Meet online around 3 times a year to get updates on Stagetext’s work, and give feedback to the Stagetext team. This 2 hour meeting called the Ambassador Panel. • Support Captioning Awareness Week each November. • Support Stagetext at in-person or online events • If they feel comfortable, Ambassadors sometimes speak on panels run by Stagetext, or speak to the media. Full support is given! All Ambassador Panel meetings and events run by Stagetext are made accessible with live subtitles, produced live by a speech-to-text reporter. Being an Ambassador is not the same as working for Stagetext. If you ever came across an issue at a captioned event, for example, the best thing to do would be to talk to Stagetext about it and we would take it forward on your behalf. Who we’re looking for: Caption users who regularly go to accessible events – and who would like there to be more! Most of our current Ambassadors are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, but we are happy to welcome people who use captions for any reason. We are actively seeking to expand the membership of the Ambassador Panel outside of London. This is an open opportunity. You don’t need to commit to being an Ambassador for a set length of time, it is up to you how you’d like to be involved. We ask that all Ambassadors join the Ambassador Panel meetings so that you are up to date with our work. How to express an interest in becoming an Ambassador: Please write a short statement on why you’d like to get involved and email it to Rachel Jele, Stagetext’s Head of Advocacy and Engagement: Rachel@stagetext.org