Gladiators star Fury has confessed that her hearing impairment made her too frightened to travel alone by plane. However, new accessibility measures on aircraft have given her a confidence boost.
Jodie Ounsley, known for her robust performances as a gladiator in the popular BBC TV show, admitted she lacked the confidence to board a plane solo.
The 22-year-old is among the 58% of individuals who are deaf or have hearing loss and are concerned about communicating with onboard crew, according to a study by Virgin Atlantic.
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Prompted by their findings, Virgin Atlantic invited Jodie and deaf influencers Hermon and Heroda Berhane to trial their new inclusive onboard services. They claim to be the only airline providing British Sign Language (BSL) trained cabin crew and have pledged to increase the number of subtitled in-flight TV shows and films.
Video footage reveals cabin crew using sign language to welcome the trio onto the flight and serve them food. Fury even signs that she’ll return for more ice lollies when she departs. The flight from London Heathrow to Washington, US, demonstrated to Jodie how staff can now communicate passenger alerts with her and explain how to use onboard entertainment.
(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)
Former England rugby union player Jodie, who provided feedback to the airline after the flight, says the changes feel ’empowering’ and will make her feel more at ease onboard. Jodie enthused: “Until recently I didn’t feel confident enough to fly on my own but knowing that airlines like Virgin Atlantic can provide specially trained crew with the understanding and awareness to make me feel comfortable onboard is really empowering.
“It’s amazing to see that the feedback myself, Hermon and Heroda provided is going to help make the experience of flying even better for deaf travellers in the future. I can’t hear without my cochlear implant, so things like increasing the availability of accessible movies and TV will mean I can enjoy even more entertainment onboard.”
Virgin Atlantic’s research, in collaboration with RNID [Royal National Institute for Deaf People], demonstrated a widespread appetite for industry-wide deaf awareness training, with 81% endorsing its adoption across all aviation players.
A significant 83% called for the inception of tech-based support for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
(Image: PinPep)
The findings also indicated that such advancements would boost confidence in 80% of prospective passengers, make 61% feel more supported during travel, and could potentially entice another 17% to take to the skies more frequently.
Virgin Atlantic has committed to enhancing its current offering, planning an increase from 80% of sign language-incorporated movies and 40% of similarly accessible TV programming.
Virgin Atlantics BSL-educated flight attendant Emma Flanagan shared her personal connection to the cause: “My goddaughter was born deaf, so I started learning BSL so that I could communicate with her. I also have tinnitus – so I understand what the experience of flying can be like for someone with hearing loss.”
“Making all passengers feel included and empowered at every stage of the flight is a key part of our role as cabin crew. Being able to go that one step further and do this in BSL for passengers is hugely rewarding, from ensuring everyone feels welcome, to assisting with announcements, to helping them to experience the full warmth and joy of a Virgin Atlantic journey.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
