Commonwealth Games Day 1 - Come On In!

Glasgow's Commonwealth Games enjoyed a spectacular start with Scotland winning four gold medals, including swimming success for Ross Murdoch and Hannah Miley, as more than 100,000 people flocked to watch the sporting events in glorious weather. From a visually impaired perspective former SITE patron Aileen McGlynn won the first medal for Scotland landing a silver. At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome para-cyclists Aileen and Louise Haston won silver in front of a fantastic crowd. In our first full day of competition Scotland's athletes won 10 medals - four gold, three silver, three bronze - and are third in the medals table in one of the country's best ever starts to a Games. The heatwave, which saw conditions reach 26°C (79°F), only contributed to the atmosphere at the Friendly Games. Glasgow city centre was thronged with sports fans enjoying the vibe as shops, bars, restaurants and other traders enjoyed the benefits of the influx of tourists.

Commonwealth games Opening Ceremony

After watching the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony live from Celtic Park last night, which was great, it was frustrating that no audio description was available. While listening to Call Kay on Radio Scotland this morning it is obvious I missed loads of subtle things at the opening ceremony. We have now emailed the BBC to complain that there was no audio description for people who needed it. Despite SITE having a member on the Games Accessibility Reference group fighting hard to ensure there is commentary at the majority of venues it was very disappointing to find no audio description for people with sight loss who tuned in to the ceremony. If you agree we should have had audio please email a complaint to the BBC. The more that do then we may be listened to. Thanks

Assistive Technology at Glasgow 2014 Venues

Glasgow 2104 is pleased to announce that it is now possible to pre-book equipment for the following: 1. Hearing enhancement of standard in-venue commentary, through an FM receiver 2. Audio description commentary, for spectators who are blind or partially sighted, again provided through use of an FM receiver Details of how to book, including a booking form in Word format, are available at http://www.glasgow2014.com/about-us/accessibility-diversity-and-inclusion/assistive-technology